Children of Arceus
by Z-bond
Summary: Ash Ketchum dreams of becoming Pokémon master and hopefully one day defeat his older brother as soon as he's old enough to on his journey. In this story, Ash will be more serious in fulfilling his dream. Legendary Pokémon will be mentioned,AshxCynthia later on.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.- This is my first Pokémon fanfict ever, I haven't done one yet but seeing that I have never checked out the Pokémon section since my introduction to fanfiction (I know, it sounds ridiculous right?!) but I was amazed by a lot of the ficts here. After I did a few days ago due to boredom and curiosity I couldn't resist starting something with Pokemon. **

**What prompted me to start a Pokémon fict was that I actually got home for holidays from college and my little brother, (he's eleven years old) showed me his lastest cards he'd added to his(formerly mine + his) collection and begged me to watch Pokémon with him. We started from the very first episode, brought some brilliant memories back. I'm proud to be in the generation of kids who grew up with the first generation of Pokémon. Though it's good to see that it's still going strong even though it has somewhat lost its original brilliance, though no offence to anyone who thinks otherwise. **

**Kudos to Ken Sugimori Satoshi Tajiri, I don't own Pokémon. **

**This fict is dedicated to my little brother, who has read all my Harry Potter ficts and has been nagging me non-stop to write one about Pokémon. Though Ash will have powerful Pokémon on his team, I won't have him capture all the legendary Pokemons like the playable characters in the games, that's just a bit too far (even if we secretly enjoy reading ficts where Ash has a lot of legendaries by his side.) **

**Though I have to say, Ash will be more mature in this fict, (Sorry but watching a same guy who practically stays immortal for years and having the same childish attitude really creeps me out for some reason. Am I the only one who finds Ash to never grow up freaky?) as well as two changes to the storyline. **

**As for pairings, I haven't had anything solid planned just yet. And as for Legendary Pokémon, they might be involved. Tobias has a Darkrai and Latios in the anime so why not Ash? **

**~0~**

**Chapter 1: Start of a Journey**

"Calm down Ash! Those Butterfrees aren't going anywhere." The voice of a ten year old boy called out, he had neat medium length chestnut brown hair, a pale complexion and ocean blue eyes as he raced after his little brother through the grass. He was wearing a yellow long sleeve shirt, a navy blue sleeveless vest, dark pants, and blue sneakers.

"Hurry big brother, I can see them!" The younger boy, four year old Ash Ketchum replied excitedly. Unlike his older brother, Ash had slightly tanned skin, spiky black hair, brown eyes and he was wearing a loose black t-shirt, khaki shorts and a red hat that he'd won.

"Alec look!" Ash pointed out as his older brother had finally caught up with him.

"Wow…" Alec Ketchum breathed as he saw that dozens of the butterfly Pokémon, Butterfree foraging for nectar and pollen in the field of flowers, it was the first time both boys have seen such a breathtaking sight.

"_Free_!" Alec and Ash looked up and saw a curious Butterfree cautiously approaching them seeing if they had malicious intents towards it and its kind.

Alec shot Ash a pointed look and the younger boy got the point and quickly stood very still, though wild Pokémon wouldn't attack without reason, they were still wild and therefore unpredictable. Slowly, Alec raised his arm and to his amusement, the purple butterfly Pokémon seemed to sense no malice from the two humans before it and allowed himself to nuzzle the older human's outstretched hand.

"Hello friend, how are you? You have a very pretty purple coat, Butterfree." Alec said in a soothing voice, a technique he'd learned for keeping Pokémon, especially wild Pokémon from his father. Butterfree blushed at the praise and nuzzled Alec's face.

"Big brother can I have a look at it please?" Ash shot his brother his best puppy dog face while at the same time marveled at how easy it was for his older brother to interact with Pokémon. He wasn't one bit jealous though because his big brother was in his child young eyes, a model and the best brother in the galaxy.

"Okay here, be gentle." Alec replied and turned to the Butterfree, "I'm Alec and this is Ash, my little brother. Can you play with him for a bit?"

The Butterfree was a bit taken back by Alec's politeness, it'd seen many times of humans hunting their kind, or capturing them to simply make them do their bidding. But it saw the eager, happy face on the younger human's face and knew that the two humans he'd met today were special.

"_Free!"_ Butterfree replied happily as it glided down from Alec's hand and onto the younger boys hand. Alec smiled with amusement as he saw Ash interacting with the butterfly Pokémon.

"Alec, Butterfree said I could play with it and its friends! Can I go?! Can I?! Please! Please! Please!" Ash pleaded and Butterfree did the equivalent of a laugh.

"Sure, but be careful!" Alec had to shout since Ash was already sprinting after Butterfree after he'd barely finished saying sure.

"Hmmm, I might never get an opportunity like this again…" The ten year old murmured and taking out a camera, he took several pictures.

When the time came for them to part ways as the sun started to set, Ash was rather reluctant as he tearfully waved the group of Butterfrees goodbye by his brother's side. The Butterfree that befriended the both of them circled them one last time, nuzzled their faces before gliding after its group.

"Goodbye! Remember to come back soon! I'll bring some of my own Pokémon food next time!" Ash tearfully cried out as he waved. As the group of Butterfree disappeared, Ash and his brother begin to walk home.

"Still scared of the dark, Ashy?" Alec teased as he noticed Ash was right beside him as they walked though the forest.

"I'm not scared!" Ash retorted but he immediately held on to his brother's shirt with a vice-like grip when he saw pairs of red eyes glowing in the dark.

"Alec?" Ash trembled.

Alec immediately shielded his little brother as he unclipped his one Pokéball from his belt when a wild Raticate appeared out of the dark.

"I need your assistance, Riolu!" Alec tossed the red and white ball and with a flash of light, a small, blue, dog-like Pokémon appeared. Its legs and torso are colored black, its tail was blue and has a yellow collar. Rounded bumps were on the backs of its forepaws and a black 'mask' that brought out its red eyes.

"_I'm ready, master." _Riolu told Alec via telepathy as he faced the Raticate.

"Don't let it focus its energy, use Quick-attack_." _Alec commanded and watched as his Riolu crouched on all fours and slammed into the brown rat Pokémon.

"_Dodge!" _Alec warned as Riolu leapt back to avoid a nasty crunch attack by the wild Raticate.

"An opening! Finish it with force palm!_" _Riolu deftly leapt towards the Raticate and opening its paw, fired a huge light yellow blast that sent the Raticate back into the darkness.

Ash cheered on his brother's Riolu as it saw the pairs of red eyes in the dark disappearing while staring admiringly at his big brother.

"Thank you, my friend." Alec congratulated his Emanation Pokémon. Riolu inclined its head as it jumped up and gave his master a high five, he'd had gotten Riolu when he was just four years old as a gift from his father and they have been inseparable from that day on, so much so that they were able to communicate to each other with their minds which had only strengthen their strong bond.

**~0~**

Soon they were back to Pallet Town, it was a quiet and peaceful place, with a lot of trees, grass and clear air, far away from the busy cities. At the top of a tall hill stood Professor Samuel Oak's laboratory, it stood out with its wind turbine.

Professor Oak is a world-renowned Pokémon professor who specializes on Pokémon and human relationships as well as being a family friend to the Ketchum family.

"Mom, we're home!" Alec called out as he unlocked the front door of the Ketchum residence, a modest two-story house with a healthy sized garden and large pool in the back. And before they knew it, both boys found themselves enveloped tightly in their mother's embrace.

"Thank Arceus you two okay. Please don't come back home so late next time okay?" Delia Ketchum hugged her children, she was a relatively young-looking woman with chestnut brown hair styled into a ponytail and warm brown eyes. She was wearing a simple yellow blouse, a light pink sweater, a purple skirt and black slippers.

"Sorry mom, Ash saw a large group of Butterfrees and wanted to see them and we forgot the time." Alec apologized.

"I'm sorry." Ash added with his best pout and downcast voice that could make a raging Gyrados to calm down.

"Oh honey, its okay…" Delia patted her youngest son and ruffled his untamable hair and Ash's face lit up with happiness.

"Why can Ash get away from everything so easily with that face and I can't?" A tall man in his early thirties dressed in a purple shirt and long khaki pants with messy black hair, tanned complexion with blue eyes mock sulked appeared from the living room.

"DAD!" Alec and Ash shouted and raced towards their father who hoisted both of them in his arms.

Delia smiled at her husband before answering, "He's a child while you, Edward Simon Ketchum are a grown man with certain responsibilities."

"Your mother is so mean…but I wouldn't have it any other way." Edward whispered to his sons, to which they started to laugh.

"Dad has beard." Ash pointed out as he poked his father's cheek.

"You like it?" Edward asked his son.

"No, yucky and sharp." The five year old responded causing Delia to giggle.

"Okay alright, I'll shave it later. No need to be so direct." Edward smiled as he walked into the kitchen with his wife and placed both of his boys in their respective chairs while Riolu settled next to Alec's seat.

"Mime! Mime!" A humanoid Pokémon called out wearing a green apron. It had a round, white body with a red spot in the middle, light pink arms and legs connected to its body by red spheres. In addition, it has white, five fingered hands and black feet that curl upward at the end. Also, it has a pink head with red cheeks and a pair of blue horns.

"Thank you Mimey, it smells lovely." Edward thanked Delia's Mr. Mime as it placed dinner on their table.

"Mime! Mime!" Mimey blushed before walking back into the kitchen.

"He's such a darling, I asked many times but it still does all the chores in the house." Delia commented as she scooped fried rice onto Ash's plate and smiled as the boy dug in like a starving man, which was mirrored by his father in the same fashion.

"Dad…" Alec started with a smirk on his face.

"Yes son?" Edward asked while chewing.

"You eat like a Snorlax." Alec stated bluntly, trying his best not burst out laughing.

"Really?" Edward scratched his head and turned to his wife, "Do I eat like a Snorlax Delia?"

"You do dear, fortunately for you sir, I find it adorable." Delia giggled.

"Your mother likes it so Snorlax it is." Edward said to Alec, who could only raise an eyebrow in response. Turning to his Riolu, Alec saw that the aura Pokémon simply smack a paw to his face before returning to his meal of specially mixed Pokéblocks.

"Grownups are weird." He murmured as he continued his dinner. Edward merely gave Delia a knowing look, his wife smiled and he chuckled.

"_Oh son, you say that now but you just wait." _Edward thought.

After dinner and dessert, Delia Ketchum's famous chocolate cake, the family moved to the spacious living room. Edward was inwardly proud as he saw Alec and Ash transfixed at the television as it televised a friendly charity Pokémon match between Elite Four members Agatha, the ghost type master and Bruno, the master fighting-type trainer.

Alec was able to answer his little brother's questions with relative ease as they watched Agatha's Gengar sending Bruno's Hitmochan flying with a close range shadow ball attack.

"How do you know so much?" Ash asked.

"Well," Alec responded while his eyes were still transfixed to the television, "Because my dream is to beat all the Champions in every region someday with Riolu by my side so knowing moves and countering them is a basic necessity."

Riolu, who was lying next to his master gave an affirmative growl.

"Whoa, you know that's a pretty ambitious dream son. Beating one champion is already difficult enough." Edward said to his eldest child though he was elated that Alec had such a big dream.

"Well, you got fourth place in the Indigo conference dad, third place at the Silver Conference and first place in the Ever Grande Conference before you became a Pokémon fossil researcher." Alec replied.

"Touché." Edward responded.

"He's got you there dear and I think it's a wonderful goal." Delia smiled, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well if that's your dream, I'm going to be a Pokémon master! And I will challenge you one day!" Ash vowed, determination in his eyes.

Alec, taken back quickly recovered and smiled. "When you're ready, I will accept your challenge." The match soon ended with the more experienced Agatha taking the victory.

"Boys its time for bed." Delia announced after she saw Ash's eyelids drooping and chuckled as she saw him yawn.

"Aw do we really have to?" The four year old complained sleepily.

"I think your mother is right, let's go kid." Edward agreed with his wife as he took his youngest son in his arms.

"Dad, when are you leaving again?" Alec asked in a small voice while looking down, due to their Edward's profession he was rarely at home and if he did, it would only last for a couple of days at best.

Placing a hand on Alec's shoulder, Edward responded, "Not this time son," Alec's head shot up, "Your mother and I had a long discussion and I believe that its time I come back home for good."

"You mean it?" Alec asked, hoping it wasn't a joke.

"Yes Alec, I'll show you all the new Pokémon I've met tomorrow okay pal?"

"All right!" Alec said as he hugged his father tightly before racing up the stairs with Riolu not far behind, who made an excited bark sharing his companion's happiness.

With a smile, Edward turned to Delia and whispered, "How bout we call it a night and tuck this little Dratini to bed."

Delia, who was smiling happily at her eldest son's merry response, nodded.

**~0~**

It was three years, three years after Edward Ketchum had announced to his family of his decision to stay at home and now his eldest son was ready to leave on his journey to achieve his dream of becoming a Pokémon Champion.

Delia and Mimey were conjuring up a magnificent feast while Edward, Alec and Ash set up the table in their backyard patio. That way, it was easier for them to eat with their Pokémon since Edward's team were a little too large to eat inside the house.

Soon the table was set and the men went to announce that dinner was ready to their Pokémon. They soon spotted them, which wasn't hard because there were a lot of them.

Alec watched on with pride as he spotted a bipedal, jackal-like Pokémon, with fur that is predominantly blue and black. It had a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, a third on its chest.

It's snout and ears were longer than before and it had cream-colored fur on its torso, blue fur on its thighs that appears to resemble shorts and its blue tail was noticeably longer. And finally, it had four black appendages on its head.

Ever since his father had returned, Alec's Riolu had been training ceaselessly with Edward's Pokémon and had evolved one day into a Lucario after a training session with its favored sparring partner, Edward's Blaziken.

While Riolu trained against Edward's other Pokémon, he fought against Blaziken the most because the blaze Pokémon was Edward's most powerful fire Pokémon and training against it had made Riolu incredibly resistant to fire attacks despite him being a steel and ground type Pokémon.

Edward watched with amazement as Lucario and his Blaziken traded blows in inhumane speeds. Lucario nimbly dodged a fire punch and its fist was surrounded by an icy glow and landed a rather nasty ice punch to Blaziken. The Hoenn starter was sent backwards but deftly did a back flip to land back on its feet as it glared at the Aura Pokémon.

Before they could do more damage to each other, Edward called out, "Alright gentlemen, that's enough! Training time's over, dinner's ready!"

At the call, both Blaziken and Lucario relaxed from their battle stances and grudgingly gave the other a nod of acknowledgement.

Meanwhile Ash was surprised as a yellow mouse with a lightning shaped tail and two red circles on its cheeks jumped into his arms.

"Hey Pikachu, you ready for dinner?" The seven year old asked his first ever Pokémon.

"Pika, Pikapi!" The electric mouse Pokémon squeaked with anticipation. Ash had found a Pikachu while he and his older brother followed their father on a little adventure near the forests of Pallet Town to study Pokémon.

While it did zap him with electricity as Ash attempted to pet it, it was surprised that the human boy still wanted to be friends with it afterwards and even feebly attempted to get a pack of Spearow, a particularly mean bird Pokémon to leave it alone before Alec and Lucario found them before fending the Spearows off.

But that small seemingly meaningless act of selflessness was enough for Pikachu to follow the interesting messy black haired boy. Thus Ash Ketchum got his first Pokémon, though he did learn that his Pikachu really didn't like to be in a Pokéball after he released it and it zapped him with electricity.

After pleading for forgiveness and vowing to never ever return it back inside a Pokéball, Pikachu and Ash quickly became the best of buddies.

Soon the Ketchum family was sitting in their respective seats as Mimey and Delia laid out dinner on the crystal table, to their delight it did not disappoint: Hamburgers, grilled chicken wings, barbeque ribs, pasta, salad and onion soup, Ash had to stop himself from drooling.

Alec and Ash went to grab the many bowls of Pokémon food and water and laid them out in order just outside the patio before calling out that it was ready. Ash watched on excitedly as he saw his brother's Lucario, his father's Blaziken, Flygon, Alakazam, Gyrados, Venasaur and Sneasel all rushed towards their bowls and started to eat with much gusto.

Of course, he knew his father had more Pokémon but they were at Professor Oak's place because a trainer couldn't have more than six Pokémon with them at a time.

Every one of them ate different types of Pokéblocks depending on their type and according to taste, Pokemon and humans were alike in that aspect as both have a particular like or dislike when it came to food.

"So, Alec, you plan on leaving tomorrow then?" Edward asked his son as he spooned onion soup into his mouth.

"Yes dad, I won't be choosing a Kanto starter though-" Alec was interrupted by Ash.

"Why? Don't all trainers choose one?" The black haired boy asked with curiosity, Pikachu also turned its head up from its bowl next to its trainer.

"Because, I vowed to Lucario years ago that he'll be my starter." With the mention of his name and his trainer's promise, just outside the patio on the grass, Lucario merely smiled as he sat in his favored meditation pose while delicately popping its favorite orange colored Pokémon blocks into its mouth.

"That's wonderful darling. I think it's a great idea." Delia stated as she scooped some pasta onto Alec's plate, she was rather distraught after Alec had stated that he wanted to leave home soon to pursue his dream but after her husband had talked and persuaded her that their eldest son could take care of himself and had Lucario to look after him, she relented though she did so reluctantly and it took her a while to get use to the idea after her family was finally back together for three years.

"Well, I'll ring up Samuel after dinner to tell him of your decision." Edward smiled, he knew at once after Riolu had appeared out of its Pokéball to Alec, the two had established a powerful friendship.

"Thanks dad." Alec responded as he returned back to his dinner.

"Alec, will you come back to visit?" Ash asked with wide, big eyes.

"Of course I will. Don't worry." Alec responded with a smile. Ash seemed satisfied and returned to interacting with Pikachu, who was enjoying a bottle of ketchup.

After dinner was finished, Edward, Alec and Ash cleaned the table and dishes despite Mimey's fierce protest with Delia chuckling at the whole process.

After tucking in a sleepy Ash and Pikachu in bed, Delia went to her oldest son's room and knocked.

"It's open." Alec's voice called out and Delia softly opened the door. She smiled as she saw Lucario meditating near Alec's bed and her son sitting at his desk, staring intently at the two photographs he had on his desk, a book lying in his hand. As Delia walked nearer, she couldn't resist giving him a big hug as she saw her son staring at the photo of his family all dressed up.

"I'll miss you…" She whispered through her tears.

"I'll miss you too mom." Alec patted his mother comfortingly on her back.

"You have a big day tomorrow, don't stay up too late." Delia stroked her son's chestnut brown hair, which he'd inherited from her and kissed him on his forehead before leaving his room. Setting the photo of his family down, Alec turned his focus to the second photo.

In it were three boys with their arms looped around each other's shoulder. One had light steel blue hair, pale turquoise eyes and was wearing dark pants, and a silver t-shirt while the other had turquoise hair styled with two bangs coming down each side of his pale face and turquoise eyes, he was wearing purple pants and a long sleeved white, turquoise shirt and a white beret. And finally, Alec spotted himself in the middle, wearing khaki pants and a black sleeveless shirt. Behind them were a sign that said Devon Corporation and two towering skyscrapers.

On a family outing to Rustboro City in Hoenn, Edward had taken Alec with him and had a brief meeting with the president of Devon Corporation while Delia decided to take Ash for some clothes shopping despite the younger Ketchum's protest.

While he was waiting in the lobby, Alec met Steven Stone and his rather theatrical friend Wallace. They became friends fast as they were roughly around the same age and like all boys their age, bonded over the topic of Pokémon.

He was thoroughly impressed by Steven's Beldum, as they were rarely seen in the wild. Wallace had shown him his Feebas and while it looked quite ordinary, unappealing and unimpressive, Alec knew that looks could be deceiving. Feebas, similar to Magikarp which would evolve into the powerful and frightening Gyrados, would evolve into a Milotic, an incredibly beautiful and strong water type Pokémon.

Wallace was impressed by Alec's knowledge on Pokémon, as people would usually make fun of his Feebas and him despite being the protégé of Sootopolis City's Gym Leader Juan.

Since then they have kept in contact with each other, Steven had already left his hometown to travel the world, studying and looking for rare stones. Wallace was training hard under Juan to become the next Sootopolis Gym Leader as well as striving to become a contest master.

**~0~**

The next morning, Edward, Alec got up early from bed and went to Professor Oak's lab with Ash pleading to go with them. Funnily enough, his Pikachu did not share the same enthusiasm as its trainer and was not the slightest bit amused that its trainer had accidentally woke it up, knocked it off the bed while getting out of bed, as a result Ash received a thundershock that immediately got him up and focused.

Soon they found themselves in Professor Oak's lab, it was composed of two floors. Climbing the stairs, they were on the second floor and entered the main lab. It possessed several machines that were used for Pokémon testing as well as a table with various chemicals and detailed notes on it.

Nearby was a blue chair with a status screen in front of it, which showed the strength, level and power of a Pokémon and next to it was Professor Oak's computer, which he used for his research.

Beside the computer was a Pokéball transfer machine, wild Pokémon captured by trainers would automatically be sent to Oak's lab if they had more than six Pokémon with them. It was also highly useful when trainers wished to switch their Pokémon around.

Finally, right in the middle of the lab was a layered, circular metal table that currently held three Pokéballs. Each of them had a different sticker on them which announced the type of the Pokémon that was inside it. Fire for Charmander, a leaf for Bulbasaur and a water drop symbol for Squirtle.

"Ah Edward, Alec and Ash. Good, you're here." the voice of Professor Oak greeted as he approached them.

Oak was a relatively old man, despite his denial with whitish-grey hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a short-sleeved red shirt, a white lab-coat, brown pants and black shoes.

"Good morning Samuel, my son is ready to start his journey." Edward shook his former mentor's hand. Oak's attention switched to Alec, who merely stared back unblinkingly.

"So, Alec your father has informed me that you do not wish to pick out a Kanto starter, I assume your decision remains unchanged?" The Pokémon professor asked.

"Yes sir, I promised Lucario years ago that he will be my starter." Alec replied with an apologetic smile. Oak inwardly smiled as he once again witnessed the strong bond between Alec and Lucario, if there could only be more people like Alec, the world would be a better place for both Pokémon and humans.

"Well in that case, here," Oak handed the young trainer five Pokéballs, "These are the most basic, standard version of Pokéballs. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times but you can catch weakened wild Pokémon with them."

Alec nodded and attached the empty Pokéballs onto his belt, his father was smiling proudly while Ash stared with awe.

Oak then promptly handed a red device to Alec, who took it, flipped it open to show an assortment of buttons and a small black screen.

"This is your Pokédex, it will provide you with information about Pokémon you might encounter. It will also record any information about any new Pokémon that you might discover… After all there are still many Pokémon just waiting to be discovered. Oh and before I forget, your father also added data from all known Pokémon in the regions of Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova."

"Thanks dad." Alec looked up at his father.

"No problem son. Here is something from me and your mother, it was mostly your mother's idea." Edward ruffled his hair before digging his hand into his pants pocket and handing Alec a small, compact-disc-shaped device, Alec recognized it as a Pokémon Navigator. Besides the obvious, it also functioned as a phone.

"Don't worry, I added the different regions into it so you won't have to switch devices all the time." Edward informed his son.

"Thanks dad, this will help immensely." Alec smiled.

"No problem, back in my day we didn't have these things and I got lost more times than I can count." Edward admitted and both his children laughed.

Oak then bade them farewell with Edward placing both hands on his sons' shoulders as they walked back home so Alec could retrieve his travel items before leaving.

Usually, trainers were sent off by all of Pallet Towns residents as of tradition but Alec was never one for being in the center of attention so he decided to leave early.

After packing a traveling tent, dried rations and water, clothes, and a container of Lucario's Pokéblocks into his bag. He changed into a pair of black jeans and a white sleeveless shirt with a hood. Also, he'd picked up a locket in the shape of a silver Pokéball, it was a gift from his little brother who'd picked it with their mother. Inside contained a picture of him and his family, he then chained it around his neck.

After a mighty fine breakfast, a teary eyed Delia accompanied her husband, youngest son and Pikachu to send off her eldest son after Alec said goodbye to all his father's Pokémon.

A few of their neighbors saw the family and bade Alec good luck or any other type of encouragement, to which the boy politely acknowledged.

"I guess this is it son." Edward said as they arrived at the outskirts of Pallet Town.

"Yeah…" Alec replied as his mom and a crying Ash enveloped him in a hug.

"Remember to stay in touch." Delia patted her son on the head.

"I will mom." Alec promised and turned to his little brother who was still crying. "Hey little man, it's going to be alright. I'm not going away forever." He added softly.

Ash nodded and with a determined yet teary face, the little boy said, "I'll start my journey one day and soon I will challenge you and win! Don't you forget!"

Alec simply smirked before he slung his backpack on one shoulder and left the place he called home for fourteen years to fulfill his dream.

Edward merely wrapped a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders as he proudly saw his eldest son's figure getting smaller into the distance.

However, both Edward and Delia were unaware that big plans were in stall for both their children in the upcoming future.

**~0~**

In another dimension, filled with light and unaffected by time or space was a creature with the shape of an equine being, similar to that of a centaur. Its body color was white with a gray, vertically-striated underside, a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen, the wheel was adorned with four jewels, it had four pointed feet tipped with golden hooves, its mane was long, jutting away from its white helmeted head which hid its gray face. Slowly its green eyes opened ending its dutifully watched Alec Ketchum walking with Lucario as he sensed his guest's arrival.

"Palkia, it has been some time has it not." The ancient Pokémon that existed before the galaxy spoke.

"Yes, Original One." The theropod, bipedal dinousaur Pokémon responded with respect in its tone. It's body was mainly a shade of light purple, with stripes and markings of a darker shade of grayish-colored arm underside and waist. Two round purple-stripped plates guarded its shoulders, where two pink pearls lie encrusted with a gray rim encircling them and two fins in their back.

"Is your child ready?" Arceus asked without turning around.

Contrary to belief, each legendary Pokémon with the exception of Arceus and the fabled phoenix Pokémon Ho-Oh could reproduce, their numbers were relatively low thus this was a fact that was overlooked. The original Legendaries rarely visited Earth or Arceus' dimension unless Arceus ordered them to, opting to stay within their respective dimensions where it could roam in peace.

Well, except for Mew but Mew was Mew and all legendaries knew that legendary psychic pink cat Pokémon loved to play.

"Yes, but I must ask, Original One, is this wise? I am not questioning the boy's ability nor potential but if my child is to join him, they might find themselves gaining unwanted attention." Palkia questioned.

"What you say is true but I have confidence in both of their abilities." Arceus replied in a tone that signaled the end of the discussion.

As the two powerful legends spoke, in the vastness of space, a purple comet appeared out of a dimension rift, flying in a steady pace straight for Earth.

In Viridian City's Pokémon Center, Alec's blue eyes opened wide as he shot up in his bed in the small dark room. He then checked his watch; it was a little past midnight and dropped back onto the bed with a feeling of dread filling his stomach. "Why do I get the feeling that everything has changed?" He whispered to no one in particular.

**Please Read and Review, I know that there is a lot on my OC Alec in this first chapter but coming up will focus on Ash's journey. Both of them will be major players in this fict. Also I am open to shippings as well as the legendary Pokémon Ash befriends. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

******Thank you all for the reviews so far, though I can't say that I'm not disappointed by the low numbers.**

**I've scanned through most of them and I got CynthiaxAsh shipping and Mew. I might add Rayquaza later on when Ash travels to Hoenn but we'll see. If you haven't already guessed, both Ash and Alec will be Aura users and Alec will have Palkia on his team.**

**For people saying my OC Alec is gary stu, I don't agree. If you call being smart and analytical gary stu like then you must feel inferior or just hate people who are smarter than you and you're really going to have a bad time. He's not by all means perfect. You can't judge a character from just reading one chapter. In the first and original, still the best series of Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi and the Pharoah kicked everyone's ass, from Kaiba, Pegasus, Marik to Noah and Dartz. Hence he got the title of King of Games. I don't believe that just because a character is unbelievably strong that they're automatically Gary-Stu. You can even argue that in Pokémon, Lanca, Steven Stone and Cynthia are Gary Stu/Mary Sue. They rarely, if ever, lose.**

**This is probably irrelevant but I think that Ash would be different in the anime if his dad was there for him, he'd probably not act like a noisy kid for 700+ episodes. Anythings, enough of my ceaseless rambling, here is the second chapter. Also on the issue on pairings, Alec will not be paired with Misty or May, they're way too young.**

**~0~**

**Chapter 2: My Turn**

"_He's done it! New trainer Tensai Alec Ketchum has rewritten history as the youngest ever Indigo Plateau Conference winner! He's been absolutely fantastic from the start! A truly great joy to watch!" The commentator exclaimed with excitement as all the cameras focused on a fifteen year old boy with well-layered chestnut brown chin-length hair and blue eyes wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a hood and long khaki pants. _

_Next to him was a long, serpentine Pokémon covered in sapphire blue scales except for its belly, which was a bright white. It had dark glossy eyes, small horn on its forehead, and small feathery wings on either side of its head. And finally, it had small blue orbs under its neck and on the end of its tail. It was the majestic, fabled Dragonair. _

_The cameras focused on the duo as Alec stroked his Dragonair's neck, it cooed in response and brought its head down to nuzzle him. _

A messy black haired boy and an electric mouse had their eyes firmly glued to the television when the screen suddenly blacked out.

"Hey!/Pika!" Ash and Pikachu protested simultaneously as they saw Delia Ketchum walk standing near them, remote in hand.

"Now Ashy, tomorrow's your big day…you wouldn't want to oversleep right? Besides, you've watched that DVD so many times already." Delia asked.

"But you let Alec stay up the night before he left." Ash pouted but little did he know, it did not work as well as it once did now that he was fourteen years old instead of five. He'd grown to a reasonable height through the years but his hair was still a bird's nest that refused to be tamed.

Suddenly a large dog like Pokémon that had a mixture of black and grey colored fur tackled him and gave him a lick on the face.

"Alright, calm down Martha." Ash gently strokes the Mightyena his father had given him on his eighth birthday. Well, it was a baby Poochyena back then and it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He still got embarrassed whenever he remembered his mother weeping that her son was now a parent since it was technically true.

"That's because your brother didn't need me to wake him up." Delia responded and smiled as her youngest son merely blushed in response. Ash was tongue-tied, Martha and Pikachu laughing at him certainly didn't help at the slightest, knowing he was beaten he merely sighed before putting the DVD of his brother's taped Indigo Plateau Conference championship into a protective case and sulkily walked out of the living room, Pikachu and Martha in toll.

"You want me to tuck you in Ashy dear?" Delia called out and was responded by an embarrassed yet loud, "NO!"

"Aw, my little Ashy is all grown up." Delia said to herself with a proud smile. "You can tuck me in if you want." Edward Ketchum whispered playfully as he hugged his wife from behind.

Delia giggled before petting her husband on the head, "Behave yourself Edward, at least until Ash is finally on his journey." The married couple then walked out to the backyard and sat comfortably on the bench.

"Time's been fast hasn't it?" Edward asked softly as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder.

"I would be lying if I said it hasn't." Delia sniffed, "I just wish Alec could come home more often…now Ash is leaving too."

"You know he can't dear, and you know our Ash, I don't think him staying here will be good for him." Edward tried to soothe his wife, he was thoroughly impressed by his eldest son's performance. At each of the conferences, he'd won each match without losing one Pokémon, which was unheard of.

"I guess it's a mother's thing, how silly of me." Delia smiled as her husband gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"You're not, though I do wish Alec will come around…since I did promise him a battle. He's probably scared that he'll lose to his old man." Edward said thinking deeply, the trophy room on the second floor had some new additions since Alec had started his journey four years ago. Thirty-two badges and four league trophies added next to his father's accomplishments.

Never had anything like this happened in history, it was inconceivable to almost everyone that a trainer with little real life experience such as Alec could sweep all the league titles in such a short period of time.

But Edward and Delia knew better as they saw their son grow up, as far as they were concerned, Alec was probably one of most knowledgeable people when Pokémon was involved.

He and his little brother had a unique connection with their Pokémon, like Alec with Lucario, they could communicate with each other using their minds though it took a long time for it to fully manifest. Pikachu, Martha and Ash understood each other perfectly despite not being able to read each other's minds. Oak was astounded when informed by Edward and Delia but sulked in protest when the Ketchums told him no experimenting.

Speaking of Professor Oak, Alec and Ash had both helped him for years around the Oak Corral and doing nothing but interacting with different types of Pokémon had been a real boost to their Pokémon education.

Also the world renowned Professor would often tutor them on various types of Pokémon from normal to psychic, their behavior and how to establish a connection with them. So it was really no big surprise to him or his wife as they watched Alec take up the Elite Four Challenge after competing in four leagues on live television and forcefully plowed his way to the top, using only one Pokémon throughout the matches.

It was only until facing against the Champion was Alec forced to use two, Dragonair and Lucario. Lance Wataru, the greatest Dragon Master and Champion of joint Kanto-Johto was the only one to nearly succeed in breaking Alec's record of not losing a Pokémon in a battle as it took two of his Dragonairs and Gyrados to tire out Alec's Dragonair but was soon crushed by Alec's Lucario after Alec decided to switch Pokémon.

As Alec had become somewhat of a large celebrity throughout the world due to his status as being unbeaten and the new Champion of Kanto, since then, Pallet Town had attracted numerous tourists and Pokémon trainers alike to gain a better understanding of the mysterious young ace as little was known about him because he was never seen in public.

However, Edward was crestfallen once he knew of Alec's busy training schedule with his Pokémon, it wasn't hard to figure out as his son wrote or said the same damn thing every time they received a phone call or text which was once in a long stretch of time and the time span they were getting them were stretching.

Truthfully it reminded himself of his youth when he would do nothing but train and train, neglecting everything around him including his family. He was pretty sure his son had already forgotten what day and month it was with that perseverance he seemed to have inherited from his mother.

Concurrently, back in the house, Ash was busy packing the things he would need for his journey while Pikachu and Martha watched from his bed.

Ash wasn't the only one changed physically as years of training and exercising had made the small electric mouse more muscular and less fat, it had hated the word and would sent out a thunderbolt to whoever had the guts to say it to its face.

The main recipient of it was Ash, who'd learn quickly his Pikachu didn't like to be teased about its weight after he'd tried to get his pal to lay off the ketchup.

"Okay, let's see…Pallet Town to Viridian City….might take a day at the most to get there….first Pokémon Gym at Pewter City…specializes in rock type Pokémon." Ash mumbled as he studied a giant map of the Kanto area, mapping out each of his destinations, there was also sheets of various Gym Leaders and their Pokémon used in battles.

"Pikapi! Pika, Chu, Pika?" Pikachu called as he leapt from the bed and onto Ash's head.

"Ooof! Hey buddy, just making sure everything's planned." Ash stroked the electric mouse on the cheek, which it made a soft murmuring sound of contentment. Meanwhile Martha cuddled up next to her trainer.

Ash's attention was drawn back to the sheet with information on Gym Leaders as Pikachu pointed at the first one, his brows narrowed as he read, **Speciality: Rock Type**. Immediately he knew Pikachu would be at a type disadvantage but he also knew not to underestimate it, even his father had said that his Pikachu was on another level of its own.

"Don't worry pal, we'll get over it. Won't we guys?"

"Pika!"

"Arfff!"

"That's the spirit." Ash exclaimed, petting his two best friends on their heads. After reading over his traveling plan one last time, the messy black haired trainer carefully folded his map and notes into his backpack. As he prepared for bed, his eyes glazed over a photo of him and Alec. He was only eight years old as he stood next to his brother who held his Indigo League trophy with a solemn smile on his face.

"I'm so far behind…I'd better kick it up a notch tomorrow. You held up your end of the bargain now I will do my very best to uphold mine." He thought as Pikachu jumped onto the bed and curled up next to him and Martha took her spot at the foot of his bed, he knew that Alec was waiting for him at the top, for that battle he'd promised nine years ago. With that, he fell asleep.

**~0~**

Mt. Moon was a place of mysterious beauty, located in northern Kanto, between Pewter and Cerulean City. Climbing was impossible, as a result, travelers could only use the caves to get around. Despite its peaceful outlook, it was anything but within.

Deep in the caverns, men and women dressed in black uniforms with a large red R imprinted on their chest as well as black colored hats and goggles. They were excavating what seemed to be bones of extinct Pokémon. They were a part of Team Rocket, a rising criminal organization that steals, captures and then sell rare and strong Pokémon. They also conducted unethical, cruel experimental research on Pokémon.

"Sir, check this out, a complete Aerodactyl fossil as well as Kabuto, Kabutops." A grunt informed his superior.

"The boss will be please." The group leader replied as he took out a phone and was about to dial a phone when a bone chilling laughter filled the cavern.

"Hehehehe….Now what have we here?" The spine-shivering voice asked. All the grunts stopped in their work to face the lone figure crouching at the entrance of the cavern,

"Who's there? You dare interfere with the business of Team Rocket?" The Rocket commander held out a Pokéball, as did his subordinates behind him. The unknown intruder was male, around six feet in height and was dressed in black shoes, long khaki pants, a black sleeveless shirt, a purple hooded cape and walking closer, a silver mask hiding his eyes.

Suddenly, the Rocket Commander dropped the Pokéball in his hand as he desperately clutched his throat, "So weak…pathetic…you believe your organization is powerful… only to be reminded of what true power is." The masked man mocked softly, a purple aura surrounding him. In his right hand was a gold scepter with a glowing symbol of an ancient wheel carved at the end of the blade.

"Now, drop dead." The masked man commanded in a warped tone and the Rocket Commander dropped to the floor with a blank expression on his face to the terror of the grunts. They tried to back off only to find that all exit tunnels suddenly caved in.

With their desperation, the Rocket grunts send out all their Pokémon, Houndooms and Golbats. Their commands were ignored as their Pokémon turned on them, their eyes glowing purple and growled.

"How ironic, the oppressed and enslaved are now rebelling…" The masked man wielding the scepter laughed as the Rocket grunts were being torn apart by their own Pokémon.

"Go now, live in peace." He pointed his scepter towards the Pokémon that belonged to Team Rocket after creating a bloody carnage and following a flash of purple; they raced past the mysterious man leaving him alone in the silent caverns.

"It's not about morality. It's about sending a message…" The scepter wielding man murmured as he dug his hand into his pants pocket and extracted a PokéNav.

**~0~**

Sunlight flowed into Ash's bedroom and our favorite black haired trainer lazily opened his sleepy eyes but they became huge after he saw it his clock. It was eleven in the morning.

"OH CRAP!" He jumped out of his bed and ran into the bathroom so quickly as if his pants were on fire. Pikachu barely comprehended what was happening as he was scooped up from the comfortable bed and in his trainer's arms with Martha by his side they were soon speeding out the front door.

"Good Morning son, here's your PokéNav -" Edward greeted but was cut off.

"NO TIME, I'M SO DEAD! GOTTA GO! BE RIGHT BACK!" Ash yelled as he and Mightyena dashed out the door, Pikachu in hand, creating a huge gust of wind that almost made Edward drop the device.

"That boy…" Edward chuckled as he saw his son speeding towards Oak's lab.

"Pikapi, pika, pipi, pika!" Pikachu tried to get his trainer to slow down but was only replied with a, "SORRY PAL! HANG ON!"

At last they finally arrived outside of Professor Oak's lab. There was already a crowd there, and Ash wasn't all that surprised when he saw his rival, Gary Oak who had exited his grandfather's laboratory and was now walking down the stairs to greet the crowd. The crowd cheered at his presence while a nearby band began playing.

Like Ash, Gary had slightly tanned skin and spiky hair though his hair was brown and he had brown eyes as opposed to Ash's black. He was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, purple pants, black sneakers, and a greenish-yellow sphere attached to a cord around his neck. As they locked eyes, Gary started his usual game of trying to get under Ashy Boy's skin.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't little Ashy-boy, coming to get his first Pokémon." The taunts might have worked but after hearing it for years, Ash found it becoming increasingly boring.

"On the contrary, little Gary," He smirked as Gary glared at him, "I already have my starting Pokémons."

"Oh really?" Garry inquired in a sarcastic manner, "Where?"

"Pika, Chu, Pika!" The red circles on Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity, next to Ash, Martha gave a deep menacing growl, making Gary take an involuntary step back.

"You're looking at them. And if I had to guess you picked a Squirtle." Ash said bluntly while folding his arms in an unimpressed manner. When Gary had a look of surprise on his face, Ash merely raised an eyebrow, "You blabbered on and on about getting a Squirtle for weeks so it wasn't difficult to figure out." He added.

"Hmm…looks like you've got some brains in you after all. Ashy-Boy. Well smell you later." Gary ended their conversation as he swaggered over to his convertible along with his gaggle of cheerleaders and drove off amidst the cheers.

Ash then muttered an insult that would have made Delia Ketchum go off in a rage if she were present before walking into Professor Oak's laboratory. After assisting the elderly professor for years, he'd become quite familiar with the lab layout.

"Ah, Ash…I was wondering when you'll show up." Oak said as he turned away from his computer.

"Sorry about being late Professor." Ash flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, I suppose it will have no effect since you told me last time that you want to start your journey with your two friends." Oak replied, amused.

"That's right!"

"Pika!"

"Arff!"

Oak chuckled, one look and you could see that there was something special between Ash, Martha and Pikachu, like that of between long time friends.

"Alright, here are your four Pokéball, as well as your Pokédex." Oak handed the items to the black haired boy who had a gaze of long awaited anticipation in his brown eyes. Now he could understand the joy his older brother felt, receiving his five first ever Pokéballs.

"You can use these Pokéballs to capture wild Pokémon as well as receiving new information or adding new information with your Pokédex." Oak instructed.

Ash nodded and was about to leave when he noticed the projection on the giant screen on the wall next to Oak's computer. It depicted the statistics and levels of a sea lion Pokémon covered in a pure white coat with a small black nose and fangs protruding out of its upper jaw. Ash immediately recognized it as Alec's Dewgong.

_"Pikachu use thunderbolt!" Ash called as he faced his brother and his Dewgong. _

_"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu's cheeks crackled with yellow electricity and released a bolt of electricity, shooting at the seal Pokémon. _

_"Counter with Aurora Beam! Then use Hail!" Alec commanded. _

_Dewgong growled with anticipation as it opened its mouth and shot a powerful multicolored beam that collided with Pikachu's thunderbolt, resulting in an explosion. _

_When the smoke dissipated, Ash gritted his teeth as he saw the field of grass had become covered with ice. _

_"Pikachu use Quick Attack." _

_"Pikapi!" Pikachu rushed at Dewgong. _

_"Dewgone, use Aqua Ring," The seal Pokémon shot rings of water at the electric mouse, causing it to turn and twist to evade them. _

_"Use takedown now!" _

_"Use thunder!...What?!" Ash was astounded as the seal Pokémon had only winced from Pikachu's thunder attack before it slammed into Pikachu despite it being out of the water. _

_"Pika!" _

_"Pikachu!" Ash called out as his pal was knocked backwards due to its size disadvantage. _

_"Now's our chance, Hydro Pump!" Alec called and Dewgong launched a huge jet of water that hit Pikachu straight on. _

_"Pikachu!" Ash hurried to his Pokémon and gently picked up the water drenched and injured electric mouse. _

_"Dewgong, return. You did great," Alec smiled gently, petting the seal Pokémon and earned a lick to the face, "Now go take a rest." _

_"Dew!" It responded before diving into the pool. _

_"It's okay Pikachu, losing is nothing to be ashamed of." Ash comforted his pal, who looked down. _

_"Ash," Alec said as he walked over. _

_"I…it seems that I have a long way to go still…I-" Ash stared at the ground, his big brother wasn't called tensai for no reason. _

_"Ash, you can be as good or even better than me," Alec said in a soft tone, which caused both his little brother and Pikachu to perk up, "Do you why you lost to me?" _

_"I wasn't strong-" _

_"No, you got cocky!" Alec scolded in a serious tone, "Never underestimate your opponent, even if you have a type advantage. If you go into a battle thinking you'll win for sure without a calm mindset, you're going to struggle."_

Ash clenched his fists tightly, since that day he fought against Alec, he had changed his attitude completely. More determined than ever to prove to his older brother that he was capable in becoming stronger. He thanked Professor Oak for the Pokéballs and Pokédex and left the lab.

He was shocked when he saw his parents and the rest of the villagers waiting for him at the entrance, he was then immediately engulfed in a bone-crushing hug by his mother.

"Mom!" Ash protested, blushing.

"We're so proud of you, honey!" Delia spilled, tears in her eyes as she slowly unwrapped her arms from her son.

"Here, son, you were in such a hurry you forgot this." Edward smiled as he held out a PokéNav.

"Thanks dad." Ash responded, taking the device and gave his father a fist bump, though he couldn't help but notice that something was missing.

Delia saw right through it as she placed a comforting hand on her youngest son's shoulder. "I know you feel a bit down but I'm sure Alec would be very proud of you today."

Immediately Ash felt better and with a final hug from his parents, along with an embarrassing reminder from his mom to change his undies.

"You two ready?" Ash asked his electric mouse companion, perched on his shoulder as well as his hound companion.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu gave a fist pump with its small yellow paw. Martha the Mightyena gave him a growl of affirmation.

"Alright, here we go!" Ash said with much enthusiasm as he and his two Pokémon started to walk down the path out of Pallet Town and begin their journey on becoming the greatest Pokémon Master.

**~0~**

"I'm not going and that's final." A young man in his early twenties with layered chin length chestnut brown hair, well chiseled facial features and ocean blue eyes said in a cold tone as he gently petted two serpentine Pokémon from the edge of a large pool.

One blue with small feathery wings on either side of its head, a small blue orb under its neck, gentle dark glossy eyes and a small horn on its forehead.

The other was much fiercer and considerably scarier, with a red serpentine body and light yellow underbelly and spots on its body. It had a three-pointed, dark red crest on its head and four white fins down its back. Barbel on both sides of its face, pectoral and dorsal fins resembling that of a fish's and finally, a large gaping mouth that revealed four canine teeth and red eyes menacing enough to stop a herd of stampeding Tauros in their tracks.

Unlike its blue counterpart, a Red Gyrados was the result of forced evolution when it was still in the stage of Magikarp and thus retains its red color because not enough time was given for its scales to change color. Alec was long intrigued and fascinated by the mythical Red Gyrados that dwelled in the Lake of Rage near Mahogany Town, a lake renowned for being full of only Magikarp as well as housing some of the most enraged and hostile Gyrados on the planet.

So in his curiosity and some would say foolishness, Alec decided to see it for himself and to also stop the Red Gyrados from attacking the town's inhabitants. Needless to say, it certainly did not disappoint.

_"Hmm…Lake of Rage, the quietness sure does give a fake image. The calm before the storm…" Alec muttered to himself as he sat his backpack down and enlarged a Pokéball and observed the silent and calm environment. _

_Normally, dealing with wild water Pokémon, he would have used a fishing rod but considering it was a 21 feet 530 pound pissed off sea monster that he was dealing with. A fishing rod might not be the smartest decision. _

_"Gyrados! I know you're listening! Come out and fight someone who can fight back! You big spineless coward!" Less than one minute Alec had finished his declaration, the peaceful lakewater churned violently with anger, a large whirlpool forming in the center of the lake. _

_Exploding outward, a large red serpent rose from the lake's depth, its blazing indignant red eyes glared at the intruder. The Red Gyrados arched its head back and gave out a loud, piercing roar. Alec, though he'd encountered many angry Pokémon before, this was easily one of the worst. The mighty sea serpent was one the angriest Pokémon he'd ever encountered_.

_"Gyrados, I challenge you to a battle! You lose, you stop attacking the town and follow me! You win…and I'll let you do whatever you want and leave you alone!" Alec shouted as he tried to calm himself. The crimson serpent roared in agreement, signaling the start of the fight. _

_"Dragonair! I need your assistence!" Dragonair appeared from her Pokéball with a flash and glared at her opponent. _

_"Start with Extremespeed!" Dragonair's whole body was surrounded by a white and clear aura as it charged against its foe. _

_The Red Gyrados staggered back as Dragonair's tail slam into her, "Thunder now!" _

_The blue sky immediately darkened and blue bolts of lightening came down with flash towards the red colored serpent. Gyrados roared in pain and rage as the lightning struck her. Though she was a part dragon, her water-type half was still susceptible to electric attacks. Pulling herself together, Gyrados put almost all her strength and unleashed a staggering Hyper Beam attack at the blue serpentine Pokémon. _

_"Use Lightscreen!" Alec commanded and Dragonair enveloped herself in a glowing golden aura as the Hyper Beam attack hit her. An explosion was ensured as Alec had to protect his face from the smoke. As the smoke cleared, Gyrados roared with anger and disbelief as it saw Dragonair completely undamaged covered in a golden aura. _

_"Time to end this!" Alec shouted and pointed at the red serpent, "Dragonair use Thunderwave!" _

_Dragonair gave a soft growl of agreement as it unleashed a bolt of blue electricity from its horn that quickly wrapped around her target like binding ropes. Gyrados tried to shake off the attack but was finding itself greatly weakened from exerting herself from her last Hyper Beam attack and also because Thunderwave attack was making her feel detached from her senses. _

_"Finish with Hyper beam attack!" Alec called out as Dragonair arched back, its horn glowing orange before unleashing a powerful orange beam at the bound Gyrados. _

_Despite knowing that she had lost, Gyrados definitely looked forward in becoming even more powerful under this unusual trainer who'd proved his courage and won her respect by challenging her in her own element and terms. _

_The Hyper Beam slammed into the shiny Gyrados, enveloping a huge explosion. Dragonair then slowly descended to the ground in front of her trainer. _

_As the smoke cleared, Alec saw the Red Gyrados on the lake out cold. He quickly threw a Pokéball and watched as the crimson Gyrados was covered in a red glow before getting sucked into the ball and was quickly captured. He then placed the ball on his belt before giving his Dragonair a pet on the head. _

_"Thanks girl. You were amazing and graceful…like always." He said and chuckled as Dragonair cooed before giving his face a lick. _

"Alright ladies, go take a ten minute break." Alec instructed with a slight smile. Dragonair and the Red Gyrados both nodded as they submerged into the clear water.

"Please Alec, I know you don't like these formal gatherings but you've been absent in every single one as of far. The Champion of each region has to be present!" A man with red, spiky hair wearing a dark cape over a blue outfit with orange trim implored.

Alec remained silent as he watched his Aggron spar against his Tyranitar on a rocky terrain nearby. The two dinosaur, armored bipedal Pokémon on his team held nothing back as they both released their most powerful Hyper Beam attack on each other. The two beams met each other and collided, resulting in a huge explosion.

"They're still just as competitive, just like yesterday when they were but Aron and Larvitar." Alec smiled as he saw the two titans fought. He still remembered how he saved the two young orphans after he learned that their parents were hunted and caught by hunters.

At first they were scared, believing that he'll hurt them but after eating some of his specially made Pokémon food as well as witnessing the care and respect he had for his Pokémon, the two baby Pokémon grew to admire and respect their trainer like that of an older brother. Although it was safe to say, Alec could no longer hoist them up and give them piggyback rides after they evolved, he still loved them like family.

"_**Master, I agree with Lance…as much as you hate to, we all decided that it would be for the best if you interacted with some humans instead of us all the time.**__" _Lucario's deep voice resonated within his trainer's mind as the bipedal jackal Pokémon leapt into the rocky terrain from the branch of a tree and temporarily stopped Aggron and Tyranitar in their next round of attacks. Both of his tanks shot their trainer a roar of agreement.

"Fine Lance, since my Pokémon has decided to start a mutiny and take your side, where is this thing held at?" Alec glared at the Dragon Master who smiled in victory, ignoring the Kanto champion's icy stare.

"The limo is waiting outside, so get dressed. You have ten minutes." Lance replied before leaving the enormous back yard.

"Alright everybody listen up!" Alec called out. Lucario, Aggron and Tyranitar came over and in the pool, Dragonair poked her head out of the water and his Red Gyrados shot out of the water with a roar.

Meanwhile a shiny white glow flashed next to an arm folding Lucario, revealing an elegant Pokémon wearing a white elegant ballroom gown, covering its white, long slender legs, the underside of the gown was light blue color.

It had light blue curls coming down the sides of its head. Its arms were also a light shade of blue and at the end were long slender fingers, giving a false illusion as if it wore gloves. On its chest and back were orange fin like horns and finally it has spikes to the side of its face that resembled a masquerade mask covering its glowing orange eyes.

"_**What is your wish, master?**__" _The shiny Gardevoir inquired through telepathy.

When traveling in the Hoenn Region, Alec had encountered Gardevoir when she was but a Ralts, heavily injured as she was separated from her mother when poachers came after her because she was different than any of her species.

In her fatigue, she had used her last ounce of strength to flee into a clearing where Alec was making camp, she was touched as the kind hearted young man gently wrapped her with blankets before taking all the oncoming poachers with his own Pokémon despite that they didn't know each other and that it'd be much easier for him to stand aside.

Also throughout the battle, Ralts noticed that within the young human, was a powerful aura but she could also detect deep sorrow within him.

After watching the humans who were hunting her being subdued and promptly taken away by humans wearing strange blue uniforms from under her blanket. The young man had healed her by spraying a stinging medicine that she didn't like though fortunately, the effect didn't last long and after a few hours of undisturbed peaceful sleep in addition to some of the most delicious food she'd ever tasted, she was good as new.

She felt rather sad as the young trainer had fulfilled his promise of returning her back to her mother, her mother had saw right through her and had asked Alec if he could take her daughter with him on his journeys so that she wouldn't have to live with the fear that one day, poachers would return.

He'd hesitatingly accepted and Gardevoir soon became one of his strongest Pokémon.

"Because I apparently have duties to attend to, you'll all be given the day off." Alec smiled when his team cheered and roared, "Lucario, Gardevoir, please make sure nothing happens to them while I'm off. And please, what ever you do, do not level the place again, gentlemen" Alec shot his Aggron and Tyranitar a warning glare while they sheepishly scratched their heads in embarrassment much to their trainer's amusement.

"_**Very well."**_

_**"Yes Master."**_ Gardevoir and Lucario answered and with much reluctance, Alec slowly walked back into his two-story house.

Walking up the stairs, and into a spacious room with a king sized bed, a computer on a desk, bookcases. He slid the door of his closet to a side and taking out a specific set of clothes, he began to change.

When he was finished he observed himself in the mirror, black dress shoes, a black shirt under a narrow, fitting silver suit and a straight thin purple tie. With a sigh, he walked out of his room, down the stairs and after catching a final glance at his Pokémon out in the field, he exited the front door of his house, it was close to sunset.

Locking the door and front gate mechanically, he approached the long black limo and the chauffeur quickly opened it for him. Once he climbed inside, he was not surprised to see all the rest of Elite Four inside.

"I was rather skeptical when Lance informed us that you'll be coming with us this time, what made you come out from hiding?" A woman with reddish purple hair styled in a ponytail, blue eyes with thin lens glasses, black top with no sleeves, a purple skirt, and black high heels teased. Alec narrowed his eyes as he ignored the comment.

"At least I don't parade myself like an immature attention seeking girl…I truly, from the bottom of heart, pity you Lorelei." He rebutted coldly.

"Hey, a girl's got to make a living somehow." The Master Ice-type trainer smiled, not at the slightest bit offended.

A large, well built man with long dark hair tied in the back next to Lorelei chuckled, he was wearing long white pants with a black belt secured tightly to the waist and a white vest that revealed his rather large muscular arms.

"Bruno…" Alec greeted simply.

"Champion…" Bruno, the Master Fighting-type Trainer nodded with a respectful tone.

Alec was in no way a huge muscular guy like himself but his inner strength, will, and confidence more than made up for it. Bruno was in no way a veteran when it came to fighting off challengers and trainers alike but never had he seen a person so calm, so sure of himself. Even when he watched Alec challenge Lance, there was no panic, no fear and not once was he caught off guard, like he already knew the outcome and he did.

Yet even when he had won the title of Champion, Bruno could see neither happiness nor excitement on Alec's face, only disappointment and boredom now that there was no one left to beat. He wasn't just unstoppable he was utterly monstrous.

It also applied to his Pokémon, they weren't just strongest he'd ever seen, they were all-rounders, his Aggron being one of the most memorable knew Surf, Flamethrower, Thunder, and Solarbeam.

Since then, the Kanto Elite Four was officially the strongest out of every region. Even when they were pitted against the Elite Fours of other regions in mock matches, they were still king of the hill. Bruno snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a feminine giggle.

"What's so amusing Karen?" He asked the woman sitting between Lance and himself.

She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long silvery-blue hair and silver eyes, wearing a strapless black dress that went to her knees that accentuated her perfect figure as well as matching colored heels. And to demonstrate her specialty, she wore an onyx necklace.

"Oh, nothing at all. It's just strange you two greet each other in the same manner every time." The Master dark-type trainer replied, smiling. Karen had one of the largest fan bases as well as being one of the most attractive female trainers of the five regions.

"Well, if you haven't already knew Karen, they're men, they don't understand the etiquettes of socializing." Lorelei smirked at Alec who merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"Alec, have you seen the papers?" Lance suddenly said in a serious tone and the atmosphere became deathly quiet.

"No, I haven't. Why?" Alec replied as he took out an updated slender and smaller version of a PokéNav and began typing.

"Le Creuset struck again, at Mt. Moon." Aside from Alec, the rest of the Elite Four stiffened.

A couple years ago, a mysterious figure nicknamed Le Creuset appeared out of thin air and started to interfere with the operations of criminal organizations with ill intent towards Pokémon, most notably, Team Rocket. Those he came across never lived to tell the tale.

There was nothing the authorities could do about it, as he came and went as he wished, vanishing from one region and reappearing in another.

Nothing was known about Le Creuset, though from rare video footages, he was a tall man who wore a purple hooded cape, a black sleeveless shirt, long khaki pants and a frightening silver mask that covered his eyes. He also had a personal vendetta against Team Rocket and absolutely loathed trainers who mistreated their Pokémon.

While he did not end the lives of trainers who used their Pokémon as tools, he'd utterly and mercilessly destroyed them in a Pokémon battle resulting in his opponents being sent into an endless coma.

He was sending a clear message, "I'm watching…mistreat your Pokémon, and you will regret it."

The newspaper had depicted that a new trainer in Sinnoh named Paul who used brutal training methods on his Pokémon was now reduced to living with life support in a hospital for the rest of his life after facing and losing to the masked marauder. Strangely enough, no one claimed to have memory of the incident, a whole day of their lives were erased permanently, though a video of the battle was actually captured as the silver masked trainer commanded an unknown large Pokémon hidden in the shadows that tore through his target's Pokémon like paper.

"A part of me believes that he is correct yet I cannot but wonder if his methods could be less extreme." Lorelei shook her head, she'd heard rumors of Le Creuset of not actually being human but a vessel for the spirits of dead Pokémon that had been mistreated and abused.

Of course they were only rumors and the part time lecturer thought they were ridiculous though the silver masked man did seem to have unnatural powers.

"Alec? Why is it that you're the only one that seems to be unafraid whenever Le Creuset is mentioned?" Karen asked softly, staring straight into the Alec's ocean blue eyes. Alec merely stared back, and Karen felt herself blushing as her heartbeat quickened.

"Hmmph…maybe that's because I can understand why he does the things that he does," He replied emotionlessly, staring out at the skyscrapers outside, "People like Team Rocket, and Hunter J, people who do whatever is necessary to catch, sell, experiment on Pokémon to satisfy their own selfish and greedy desires, not caring who gets hurt in the process and can get away with it with just a slap on the wrist makes one wonder…Does justice and righteousness really exist? As for the trainers? They don't deserve to be trainers if they see their partners as only tools to be used." It was very well hidden but Karen could hear the cold anger and disgust laced in the calm tone.

"How long do until we get there Lance?" Alec asked after minutes of silence. "Ten Minutes." The Dragon-type master replied and received a nod.

**~0~**

Elsewhere, Ash heard his new PokéNav rang and saw a new message had been received. With curiosity, he opened it and excitement and motivation flowed through his body as he saw that the sender was his big brother.

_**Hey Ash, So…you're starting your journey today huh? I hope Mom wasn't too heartbroken. **__**I'm sorry that I couldn't be there while you left Pallet Town, certain things came up that I needed to take care. Nevertheless, I know you'll do well. **_

_**Good luck, **_

_**Alec **_

_**P.S.- I still haven't forgotten the challenge you gave me nine years ago. I'll be waiting.**_

Placing the PokéNav back into the pocket of his dark jeans, he called out to Pikachu and Martha. "You two good ready? We had some help but we're almost at Pewter City."

"Pika!"

"Arff!"

**~0~**

Alec remained calm and steady as the door of the limo was opened and watched as Lorelei exited first, then Bruno, Karen and Lance. Slowly he climbed out of the limo and was greeted by violent and mechanical flashes as the media were dying to get him to answer their repetitive and pointless questions.

Luckily for him, men dressed in black suits held back the photographers and reporters as he walked past Lorelei, Karen and Lance who enjoyed the spotlight more than him. The reporters who were interviewing them spotted him and immediately shouted to grab his attention, to which he ignored.

"I see that you are still avoiding the media after a long awaited appearance." Bruno remarked as the four Kanto Elites and Champion walked into an elevator that was rapidly rising, the back of the shaft was made of clear glass, allowing the people inside to see the Pokémon Village outside.

"I didn't become a trainer just for the attention of the fickle spotlight. I thought you were with me on this one Bruno." Alec replied.

The large man smirked, "So I am."

"And here I was thinking you were both camera-shy." Karen remarked as the elevator came to a stop.

"You thought wrong." Alec replied bluntly as the elevator doors opened.

Soft, classical music from a live band flooded Alec's ears as he stepped out of the elevator. At once, everyone in the large main room stopped in their conversations and business as they all stared at the new arrivals. They seemed surprised that the prodigy was actually present in this year's gathering.

Lorelei and Karen quickly adapted to the atmosphere and began talking to the female gym leaders. Bruno opted to fill his stomach first as he headed to the tables laden with food. Lance gave his cousin and Blackthorn City Gym Leader Clair a big hug, which caused those around them to laugh.

In contrast to them, Alec merely got himself a glass of ice cold, green colored cream soda before approaching an elderly man who was staring out the large pane windows.

"It's been a long while, Master Pryce." Alec said as he stood next to the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town.

"I see that you have not yet learned to not address me by that title." Pryce replied, he had a head of white hair and wore a long blue trench coat that went below his knees, a white scarf, long khaki pants, and brown shoes. Supporting his arm was a walking stick.

"I did learn from one of the best, so I figured it was apt to do so." Alec smirked before he took a sip from his drink, besides being one of his childhood idols and a Champion level trainer in his youth, Pryce was also his mentor for a period of time after he'd visited Mahogany Town.

"Lance? Where's Alec?" Karen asked Lance, a glass of Champagne in her delicate, manicured hand.

The Master Dragon-type trainer scanned the room and had the urge to scream and smack his own face when he saw that his friend was standing next to Pryce but neither seem to be talking which was normal, considering they were had the same attitude and did not know the definition of relaxing. Karen rolled her eyes before setting her glass down on a nearby table and walked towards the two coldest trainers in the room.

"Well Clair, it would seem that you have a little competition." Lance teased his cousin, though they were only cousins, Lance saw Clair more as his little sister.

"What-what do you mean?! Shut up Lance! He is not my crush!" Clair retorted angrily yet a slight tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks. She, like Karen, was around her early twenties.

Her hair had a different style than most, having light blue hair with one small bang going down her forehead, while her side bangs reached the end of her face and it stuck out at the end, and had a ponytail that reached her mid back. She wore a tight dark blue outfit that hid nothing, showing her nice curves and well developed chest. Along with her clothing she wore gloves with black rings at the end, and high heel boots with two rings at the top. Like her cousin, she wore black cape with a dash of red at the bottom, and a pearl necklace.

"Whatever you say, Clair…though I just wanted to let you know that I approve." Lance nodded sagely and as a response his cousin socked him right in the face causing him to fall to the floor causing him to see Dragonites flying around his head.

"So, care to leave your daydreams for a dance Alec?" Alec snapped from his thoughts as he turned around and saw Karen smiling with amusement.

"Might as well." He sighed before nodding and soon he was pulled onto the dance floor as a new song started playing. While he wasn't fond on intimacy, Karen was a small rare exception. While Alec was a good trainer, dancing was another thing. He wasn't bad, but not as brilliant as he was at training Pokémon.

One thing was certain, Wallace would definitely be laughing at him if he were present. He'd become even more theatrical and dramatic after becoming the Gym Leader of Sootopolis.

"What's on your mind? You know it doesn't send a girl a positive message when the man she's dancing with isn't paying attention to her." Karen smirked playfully.

"Nothing at all, just trying hard not to step on your feet…and you look quite good in my honest opinion." He replied, causing the Dark-type trainer to giggle.

"Why thank you good sir." She smiled sweetly causing Alec to clear his throat uncomfortably.

"They make a pretty good couple." Whitney, a girl in her late teens complimented. She had pink colored hair that covered her forehead and two pigtails at the back. She was wearing a white short sleeve shirt with reddish pink trim and gold buttons, a blue short skirt and knee length black and blue striped socks and pink heels.

"I agree though I admit that I am quite jealous." Jasmine, a bleached brunette dressed in a knee length white dress and the Gym Leader of Olivine City commented.

"Hphmm." Lorelei commented as she watched Alec and Karen on the dance floor.

"Not bad for a person who does nothing but train Pokémon 14 hours a day in the past couple of years." She thought with a smile. Despite his apparent cold and unapproachable exterior as well as their countless 'verbal spars', Lorelai knew Alec respected her as a trainer and though she know that he'll never admit it even under the threat of being stung by Tentacruels, she was a friend. That was more than good enough for her since she knew that his list was really short. She broke out of her dreamy daze when the song ended and Karen slowly released herself from Alec's embrace.

"So…Karen, I trust you enjoyed yourself." Lorelei teased the silvery blue haired trainer who lightly blushed at the mock accusation.

"It was rather…nice." Karen said in a soft tone. Meanwhile Alec was ready to return to the background until this formal get together was done when he spotted Clair, who had forgone her cape and was nervously twirling her gloved hands in a chair.

"My little cousin Clair seems a bit down, tell you what, go dance with her and I won't tell Agatha that you've been sidestepping your Champion duties." Lance said with a superior smile as he suddenly appeared next to the tall silver clad young man.

As soon as the former Master Ghost-type trainer was mentioned, Alec's eye twitched. Though she retired, Agatha was the only trainer which he feared facing against, her Gengar was an absolute nightmare to deal with. It was the only time he didn't win as his Dragonair and Agatha's Gengar fainted at the same time in an unofficial match shortly after his Indigo Conference win.

It was worse when he became champion and Agatha had found out that he'd been skipping out on Elite Four meetings and gatherings, her trio of Ghost Pokémon made sure he was pranked at the most inopportune times.

"I underestimated you Lance, never thought you'll use such malicious underhand tactics." Alec sighed in defeat as he walked off towards the Blackthorn City Gym Leader.

Meanwhile Clair was pondering as she sat, her glass of champagne ignored completely. What her cousin had said earlier had affected her more than she would like to admit. It was true that Alec was quite attractive with his cold attitude in addition to his rather dashing looks and while he did not shower her with compliments on her looks, the first of many, the way he commanded his Pokémon was simply enamoring.

Though she had lost when he challenged her for the Rising Badge, it was one of her most memorable battles. In a long time, she felt happy, excited and the burning desire within her to do the best she can as they battled. It would seem that he was the only one that could evoke such feelings, as the trainers that came after him did not make her feel the same way.

Clair was also surprised to find out that his Dragonair was the eldest sister to her newly born Dratini. What shocked her was that her grandfather was the one who gave Alec the Dratini egg as he was traveling around Kanto and Johto, looking for a worthy trainer for it and after seeing Alec fending off multiple Pokémon thieves who wanted to steal his egg as well as foiling their plot to steal the Pokémon in the Pokémon Center nearby, he'd decided to gift the young man with the egg after witnessing his actions despite the young man's protest.

And so, occasionally, Dragonair and Alec would visit so Dratini could converse as well as play with her sister and their two trainers would talk about everything regarding to Dragon-type Pokémon. Clair snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a hand extended in front of her face and as she looked up and saw the source of her confused feelings.

"I did promise in my last visit…did I not?" Alec said softly and with a smile, Clair placed her glove-clad hand in his, stood up and allowed him to gently lead her to floor, where other people were dancing.

"So…How are things in Blackthorn City?" Alec asked after enduring an awkward silence as they danced to a slow rhythm song.

"Alright I guess…though the Gym is a bit quiet, turns out we handed out the least number of badges this passing league." Clair replied, ignoring the pleasant sensation that was circulating her body as she felt his hand on her waist.

"That just proves you're on another level and that the challengers need to establish a stronger connection with their Pokémon." Alec replied directly and fortunately for Clair, he'd missed the blush on her face. Meanwhile, not too far away, a cape wearing Dragon-type trainer was spying on his little cousin.

"What are you doing Lance?" Bruno inquired as he approached the Dragon-master and saw the intense stare on his fellow Elite's face.

"Shhh! Not right now Bruno!" Lance replied. Bruno raised an eyebrow; while Lance was a normal enough guy and good friend he did have his odd quirks every now and then. Though he quickly comprehended what was going on as he looked upon the dance floor and smirked before he walked off.

**~0~**

"Martha, use Extremespeed!" Ash commanded as Martha glowed white and escaped from the would be death coil from his opponent's Onix.

"What?!" His opponent, a boy a bit older than Ash with dark skin, squinty eyes and short pointy dark hair exclaimed.

"Jump in the air and use your strongest Hyper Beam!" Ash called out and Martha leapt in the air and arching its neck back, fired a staggering orange blast from its mouth, which slammed into the Rock snake Pokémon dead on as Rock Pokémon had slow speeds because of its heavy weight.

An intense explosion was ensured as Martha leapt back to rocky terrain with a growl.

As the smoke cleared, Onix was sprawled on the ground with twirls in its eyes. "Onix is unable to battle, Mightyena and Ash Ketchum are the victors!" A small boy acting as referee called out with a flag.

"Yeah we did it, you did great Martha!" Ash cried out with happiness as Martha tackled him and gave his face a giant, wet lick.

"Arff!" She barked.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu also congratulated his teammate in its happy manner.

"That was a strong Hyper Beam your Mightyena displayed. As the victor, I present you the Boulder Badge." The Gym Leader of Pewter City handed a grey octagaon badge to Ash, who'd gladly accept it.

"Thanks Brock." He nodded and left the Gym. He examined his new won badge as he was outside of the Gym, it was a step to the right direction, however small it was. There was no time left to relax, as there was still much to be done.

"Arf!"

"Pikapi!" Ash shook of his thoughts and looked up towards the orange sky where Pikachu was pointing at and his eyes widened as he saw a rainbow colored bird soaring past the clouds. "Could that be…No way! Ho-oh!" Ash thought with amazement as he took out his Pokédex and took a snapshot of the mythical bird.

**~0~**

"I see that you have been enjoying yourself, Mr. Ketchum…good, you should be more like other young people with a vibrant social life while you still can. Leave the hermit life-style and the standoffish attitude to us old timers." Alec was enjoying a rare moment of silence as he looked outside at the beautiful night view when a booming voice shook him from his wake.

Turning his head sideways, he saw short elderly man walking up next to him. The man was wearing khaki shorts, a large red coat, and a purple hat backwards on his head. The man had a large beard and his gray hair went to his waist.

"Mr. Goodshow." Alec greeted with nothing but respect in his voice. He had not seen the man since his ascension to being the new Kanto Champion.

"Thank you for the advice, I shall take it into consideration." Alec replied though he knew deep inside of him thought that socializing was a complete waste of time. Mr. Goodshow nodded in a good nature manner and went on to greet other guests as Alec's PokéNav rang and taking out the device from his pants pocket,

Alec opened the message and smiled as he saw a photo of his little brother with a Boulder Badge, "Things will certainly get interesting around here soon." He thought to himself with a smile.

"Hello Alec." A whimsical voice behind him said softly and said man slightly froze at the sound of the voice. He could see her reflection from off the glass windows, wearing a green kimono, red slipper like shoes and a red colored headband that neatly organized her bluish dark hair.

"Thank you for the white roses, they're very beautiful and I'm sure my sister would have love them too...they were her favorite." The kimono wearing young woman thanked the man in the silver suit.

"You're...welcome, Erika." Alec replied stoically.

"She wouldn't have wanted to you to be like this. Detached from the world and sad. Please for her sake, don't continue to act like this." Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader pleaded as she walked closer to him and her eyes widened as the Champion pulled her into an embrace.

"It was nice to meet you again, Eri...you've become even more beautiful," He said in a defeated voice, though the grass type Gym Leader blushed heavily at the compliment, "But I'm sorry...I don't think I can do that. I'm not sure I want to."

With that, he released her and walked away, leaving a flushed and saddened Erika on her own.

**PLEASE REVIEW! If you can follow and favorite this then you can certainly review this. I need to get better at writing and you need to give me feedback and advice on how to do that. I'm setting up a poll on which Legendary Pokémon Ash should have on his team. You can choose their or by review. Seriosly, more reviews or there isn't much to reflect and improve on. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.- Sigh, all these reviews saying that being unbeatable is unrealistic, need I remind you that Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh had only lost to Yugi in the entire series? Granted, he's an arrogant egomaniac. Pegasus doesn't count because he forced Kaiba to lose after threatening his little brother. And Yugi never loses either in the series, he defeated Noah even when Noah had 10,000 Lifepoints and he had 1000. So the argument of saying a character is too powerful is invalid because each time Yugi appears, you know he'll dominate, so what? ****Zane Truesdale in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX never lost until he faced Aster Phoenix, yet another duelist that never lost. **

**What I'm saying is that Alec needs someone who could actually take him on to appear and that hasn't happened yet so calm down! Alec's pretty much the same as Yugi, though he doesn't have the spirit of a Pharaoh residing within him, he's a freaking prodigy. I thought I explained it already LOL! Hello! Prodigy! **

**Also, my girlfriend provided me with another example, she use to watch an anime called Prince of Tennis or something like that and a character in it, Yukimura (might have misspelled.) was already a regular since his freshmen year in a school with extremely fierce competition. The dude was undefeated, never even losing a set and destroyed everyone he faced, gaining the nickname 'Child of God'. It wasn't until he faced Echizen Ryoma, the protagonist did he lose his first match ever. Again I stress the fact that the right person hasn't appeared thus Yukimura never came close to losing. **

**You might argue that such things aren't realistic and geniuses that can make anything easy don't exist. In real life, such occurrences are rare but they are real. Kim Ung-Yong was confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the highest ****confirmed**** IQ in the world, with 210. He was fluent in four languages by the age of 2, auditing college courses by the age of 4. And he was invited by NASA to study in the United States when he was 8 years old. So is this man a Gary Stu then? **

**And to list another example so I'm not accused of being sexist, Judit Polgar became the youngest chess grand-champion when she was 15, unseating Bobby Fischer. Her IQ is 170. Is she a Mary-Sue? **

**Get it through your head people. Such people do exist. So why not a strong Pokémon who hasn't been defeated yet because no one seems to be capable yet; I really don't understand what the fuss is about. And no offence, Lance is pretty Mary Sue in the anime and manga if all the readers hold Ash as their standards. I re-watched the first season and it was pathetic, Ash never won his Kanto badges through battles. **

**Let's be honest, Ash is pretty weak and illogical, he comes across many strong Pokémon in his journeys yet opts not to capture them. Hell, he could have a team composed with only legendaries. No wait, that'll make him Gary Stu, then why the f*ck does Tobias have a Latios and Darkrai that pretty much destroyed every single match it participated in without being subistuted? Now that is poor writing and we don't even know where this Tobias is from or his origins but I don't see many people shouting that he's Gary Stu. **

**And as a reply to those who said Alec won leagues and became a champion to easily. He started out his trip at 14, he is now in his mid 20's, and practically trains himself and his team to the bone everyday. That's not Gary stu, because he knows what he wants in his life and does his hardest to make it a reality. **

**In all honest opinion, he has absolutely no social life as I have described in the second chapter. So I don't see why he can't accomplish all that. Cynthia became Champion of Sinnoh in her early twenties; as I recall, more or less younger than Alec and I suppose I assumed she's a mary sue too.**

**~0~**

**And what if I told you that I beat the Elite Four with only one Pokémon on my good old Gameboy without cheats? Though I admit, I used my lvl 100 Milotic in Sapphire, it remains a fact. I also used a lvl 100 Dragonite and Blastoise in Fire Red and defeated the Elite Four easily. **

**With that, I shall turn my focus to Ash and leave Alec brooding in the background like he wished. And no worries for you all who say Alec's got 'cooler' Pokémon, calm your balls…Ash has only started his journey. **

**~0~**

"Pikapi, pika pika!" Pikachu rubbed his eyes and approached a head of dark messy hat hair and poked the snoring figure who was sleeping contently in his sleeping bag. Smacking his face with its paw, Pikachu then had an idea as sparks appeared on its red circle cheeks.

"Pika chuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried as he zapped his trainer with a mild thunderbolt.

"AAAHHHHHH!" Ash shot up with surprise and due to being cocooned in a snug sleeping bag, his motor balance was nonexistent as he slipped and fell face down on the floor of his tent.

"Good Morning to you too bud." Ash murmured before glancing up and shooting Pikachu a death glare.

Pikachu wasn't the slightest bit afraid as it folded its short front paws in front of its chest, closed his eyes and smirked.

"Pika pika." The electric rodent crawled out of the tent.

After a rather letting out a mouth gaping yawn that would make a Slaking proud, Ash folded his tent back into the back of his bag and stretched. Then he retrieved two bowls and placed some Pokémon food in them and called Pikachu and Martha when it was ready.

In addition, he pulled out two of his Pokéballs and with a flash, two large bird Pokémon appeared.

The first stood at an impressive four feet eleven height. The feathers on its head-crest were as long as its body and are yellow and red. Its tail feathers were also red and its underbelly is a tan color. Finally black markings were around its watchful, hawk like eyes.

The second was also a huge, covered with brown feathers with a vulturine neck and broad, powerful wings. It has a long pink colored beak and a red coxcomb on top of its head. Its small pupil and colorless irises eyes glared at its trainer. It has shaggy feathers on the base of its neck and in a vaguely cape-like pattern covering the upper portion of its wings. The cape itself is cream in color, as are the tips of its flight feathers. Its sharp-clawed talons are pink, with three toes pointing forward and one pointing backward.

Ash had captured Pidgeot as a Pidgeotto with Pikachu as he journeyed through the Viridian Forest and together. Naturally, with Pikachu being way stronger than most other of its kind due to the intense training regime he'd went through when it was still at Pallet Town and type advantage, he had easily overpowered the bird Pokémon and they had quickly gain a new member to their team.

Pidgetto was amazingly helpful as it would search for any new Pokémon from the skies so that Ash could battle them and recruit them to their team. Deciding that his new friend could use the experience, Ash had refrained Pikachu and Martha from fighting whenever they came across any wild Pokémon because they were already more than strong enough.

It had evolved after taken out a hive of Beedrills with a powerful Twister attack after Ash had unknowingly wandered into a nest of Kakunas. Though Ash did get a pretty good haul in the process, capturing a Beedrill and a Metapod.

As for the second large fear-inspiring bird of prey next to Pidgeot, Ash had captured Fearow when it was a Spearow not long after he'd set off his journey in between Pallet Town and Viridian City. Ash had saw a lone Spearow and in his excitement, told Pikachu to unleash a thunderbolt attack.

Needless to say, the attack surprised and angered the ill-tempered bird Pokémon and Ash soon found himself fighting against the pissed off Spearow and his buddies. Luckily Martha and Pikachu were more than capable in fending off the attack as Ash directed them.

The pack of Spearows mellowed out after Ash had Pikachu use a Thunder attack while Martha unleashed a Hyper Beam attack at once on the lead Spearow and promptly captured it.

After getting examined in Viridian City's Pokémon Center and receiving an apology from his new trainer for startling it, Spearow was actually quite docile. Though it did give Ash several sharp pecks to the face before acknowledging his apology.

As his Pokémon were eating, Ash unwrapped a simple yet delicious looking turkey sandwich as he unfolded a map and looked at his next destination.

"Hmm…Cerulean City…I can use Pidgeot to get me past Mt. Moon, it says here that the Cerulean City Gym specializes in water-type Pokémon. So Pikachu definitely has advantage." Ash took a huge bite out of his sandwich.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu gave his trainer a look of confidence as its cheeks sparkled with electricity.

"Huh? Don't worry buddy, I will need your help on this one." Ash smiled as he looked up from his map.

"Oi! Ash!" A male voice called out, Pikachu, Martha, Fearow and Pidgeot all took a defensive stance, ready to attack as they looked up from their meal.

"Brock?!" Ash exclaimed and held out a open palm signal and his Pokémon relaxed as they recognized the Pewter City Gym Leader. The tall boy was panting and had his hands on his thighs as he caught his breath.

"Thought you would be in the Pokémon Center after our battle…" The older boy exclaimed with a smile as he took a seat on a log opposite of Ash.

"Well," The Pallet Town trainer shrugged, "You can't catch wild Pokémon in the Pokémon Center and these guys prefer the outdoors." He nodded at his four Pokémon.

"I see." The dark skinned boy replied.

"So what brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the gym?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"Well, my dad came back from his rehabilitation after his surgery so he's taking over the gym." Brock explained, and his face became serious, "I actually came to find you because I have a favor to ask Ash."

"Shoot." Ash replied as he finished his sandwich and opened a bottle of mineral water.

"Will you allow me to join you on your journey?" Ash was drinking his water and coughed as he heard the question.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu leapt on the stone his trainer was sitting on and patted his back and was rewarded with a gentle stroke to his head.

"Errrr…I don't mean to be rude but why and why me?" Ash scratched his head.

Brock then had a determined expression on his face, "It is my dream to be the best Pokémon Breeder in the world and I have a feeling that traveling with you will teach me a lot of things."

"Umm…a breeder huh? That's cool. Sure, welcome aboard." Ash said, offering an outstretched hand.

"Thanks Ash, I won't slow you down." Brock smiled as he shook his new friend's gloved hand.

"So you're heading to Cerulean City next? There's a gym there and the closest to get to." Brock asked as Ash jammed the empty bowls back into his bag.

"Yeah, we can get there much faster on Pidgeot and Fearow since the tunnels of Mt. Moon have been closed off by the police." Ash said and recalled all of his Pokémon save Pidgeot and Fearow, Pikachu took his usual place on Ash's shoulder. As Ash was about to mount his Fearow, he noticed the bushes nearby shuffling and out came a large hound like Pokémon with large tuffs of white fur on its head, chest and tail as the rest of its body was orange with black stripes.

"Wow, a Growlithe!" Ash exclaimed and pulled out Dexter.

**"****Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. While loyal to its master, the Growlithe will drive away enemies by barking and biting."** Dexter spoke in a mechanical tone.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder, facing the wild Growlithe with a determined expression on his face.

"Okay Pikachu! You're up, use Thunderbolt." Ash called out and Pikachu's cheeks sparkled before unleashing a powerful bolt of electricity at the Growlithe.

The orange black striped dog agilely dodged it then unleashed a powerful flamethrower, which caused Pikachu to scurry with haste to avoid it.

"Use Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu ran at the Growlithe in an unbelievably fast speed and slammed into its opponent, sending it backwards.

"Volt Tackle now!"

"Pika!" Pikachu was surrounded by golden electricity and charged towards Growlithe, hitting it dead on.

"Pokéball go!" Ash threw an empty Pokéball once he saw that the wild Growlithe was knocked out and it was quickly sucked into the capsule. After a few seconds of struggling, the Pokéball stopped with a white glow, it was sent to Professor Oak's lab since he already had six Pokémon with him.

"I caught a Growlithe!" He exclaimed and placing the Pokéball on his belt, he picked up Pikachu and the two of them did a brief victory dance.

Soon they were in the air as Ash rode on Fearow while Brock flew on Pidgeot, since Brock was a bit afraid of Fearow due to its menacing glare it was decided that he flew on Pidgeot.

**~0~**

Soon they descended not far from Cerulean City in a clearing. Brock had captured a Zulbat while they found a place to set up lunch when Ash's stomach started growling. While Brock was making what seemed to be a mouth-watering stew, Ash had let out his full team in a grassy plain area nearby and had them start their usual training routine.

They had trained for five days, 12 hours a day before they challenged Brock in the forests near the edge of Pewter City so all his Pokémon were fairly familiar to their routine.

Pidgeot and Fearow took to the skies for their usual contest, whomever gets knocked down first loses and as usual the two giants of the sky were being ultra competitive.

Martha the Mightyena gave a yelp as she was released from her Pokéball.

"Okay, Martha I going to have you work with Metapod," Ash said and Martha barked.

"Alright, Metapod, use harden and keep it up! Martha use Quick Attack followed with Crunch!" Martha barked in an affirmative manner as it ran towards its target in a blur and slammed into Metapod who was glowing green, which surprisingly was able to stall Martha in her tracks. It hardly flinched even when Martha snapped open her powerful gaping jaws and delivered a powerful bite and was surprised to find that it hardly left a blemish on its incredibly hard shell.

"Okay, Metapod keep harden up! Martha use Hyper Beam ¼ power! Repeat and take it slow!" Martha nodded and opening her jaws, an orb of orange was charging before she arched her neck and released a Hyper Beam that Metapod calmly withstood.

Ash then turned his attention to Pikachu and his Kakuna, who simply stared blankly at the electric rodent.

"Kakuna, I know how depressing it is to be in this form and I will do my best to help you to evolve. Just hang on a bit longer." Ash told the yellow colored cocoon Pokémon, who did nothing but stare back blankly.

"Okay, Pikachu use quick attack on Kakuna, Kakuna counter with harden!"

"Pika pikapi!" Pikachu charged towards the yellow cocoon Pokémon that responded by glowing yellow. Once the yellow glow dissipated, Pikachu smashed into Kakuna and bounced right off.

"Pika." The yellow rodent rubbed its head, feeling a bit dazed.

"You alright buddy?" Ash asked, knowing that running into a Pokémon with harden activated couldn't be pleasant. Pikachu was about to respond when a blinding white light surrounded Kakuna.

It grew larger and until the flash was gone and in Kakuna's place, a bipedal wasp was standing in its place. It had a round yellow head with large shiny red eyes and two antennas in the shape of a seven. Its legs are connected to its body by its thorax, and the first two are tipped with long, conical stingers. And finally, it had two pairs of rounded, veined wings and another stinger on its abdomen.

"Bzzz…" Beedrill buzzed with excitement as it flew towards Ash.

"Wow you evolved! Good job Beedrill!" He exclaimed, giving it a gentle pet on the head.

"Bzzz…" Beedrill buzzed happily.

"Pikapi!" Beedrill and Ash turned to see Martha barking loudly. He ran over and saw that Metapod's green shell was cracking and there was another blinding white glow that made Ash cover his eyes with his hand.

"Free…Free!" Ash gasped as he saw a large purple butterfly shaped Pokémon emerging from its cocoon and floated in the air, doing a loop before resting on Ash's shoulder.

"Wow, congratulations to you too Butterfree." Ash said and laughed as the purple Butterfly nuzzled him on the cheek.

"Hey Ash, lunch is ready!" Brock hollered and immediately, Ash dashed towards the camp with his Pokémon just as eager behind him.

As his team dug into their meal, Ash looked up and saw Pidgeot and Fearow speeding towards each other fiercely using their respective Aerial Ace attack. Ash had specifically set their routine to lean more on speed and resistance to electric attacks.

Both Pidgeot and Fearow collided and as a result both of them fell to the ground. However the two struggled to get up as they glared at each other, Ash sweat dropped, apparently there was no such thing as mercy when these two trained against each other.

"Alright Pidgeot, Fearow. That was fantastic from both of you, but its time for lunch so a draw it is." Ash hastily announced and the two large bird of prey glared at him but their growling stomachs greatly weakened the effect as Pidgeot and Fearow joined the rest of the team, found their bowls and began feasting but shot the other a glare filled with intense fire which made their dark messy haired trainer smack his own face.

"Whoa Brock, this is great." Ash dug into his bowl of stew with macho.

"Well, when you have a lot of siblings. You pick up a thing or two on the way." The former Pewter Gym Leader laughed and raised an eyebrow when he scanned Ash's team.

"Oh, my Kakuna and Metapod both evolved after our brief training session." Ash explained.

"Wow, you must be training for quite a bit then." Brock assumed.

"Something like that." Ash grinned. After lunch was finished and their temporary camp was cleaned up, Ash recalled every Pokémon on his team back into their Pokéballs except Martha and Pikachu, who took his favorite place of residence on Ash's shoulder.

As Ash and Brock were ready to leave the area, he saw something from the edge of a small pond nearby.

"You okay Ash?" Brock asked.

"Just saw something. Hold on." Ash murmured walked to the edge of the pond and suddenly saw a light blue colored face with large adorable purple eyes emerging from the calm pond water, it has a white ruff around its neck just behind its head, cream colored ears made of webbing on either side of its head and a fin on its head resembling its ears.

"A Vaporeon!" Ash flipped Dexter open and scanned the water fox Pokémon who sat in the water looking cutely towards him.

"**Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well.**" Dexter recited.

Ash the noticed that it was cooing at him as it emerged from the pond entirely and sat next to him, Ash noticed the Vaporeon had a pointed pattern of dark blue on its head that encompasses the backs of its ears and head-fin. It also has blue ridges that run down the length of its spine and on to its tail fin, and the paw pads on its hind feet are dark blue like the ridges. Also Ash noticed it had a finned tail similar to a mermaid's.

"Oh I get it, you're hungry!" Ash quickly unwrapped his left over smoked salmon sandwich and to his delight, the Vaporeon accepted the food and nuzzled his gloved hand with its nose before digging in.

Ash mainly watched on with a content smile on his face and was about to turn away to leave. Before he could get very far, he felt something holding onto his pants in a vice like grip that almost made him lose his balance.

Turning around, he was surprised to see the Vaporeon who had a grip on the lower leg of his pants with its mouth. With a sigh, he knelt down and gently stroked it making it cooing softly with content.

"You don't want me to leave, do you?" He asked hesitantly. Shaking its frilly head, Vaporeon protested quite loudly, like a child who didn't want to see its parent to leave.

"Well, do you want to join my team?" Ash asked. Nodding its head, Vaporeon extended a blue three-toed front paw and tapping the Pokéball Ash held out, willingly allowed itself to be captured without putting a struggle.

"Welcome to the team." Ash smiled as the ball flashed white and disappeared, transferred to Professor Oak's lab. Then he ran back to Brock, who had an impressed look on his face.

**~0~**

Arriving at Cerulean City, they noticed that a store was broken into and stole a giant vacuum and suction hose.

"Hey Ash, how bout you take on the Gym while I go and resupply our supplies?" Brock asked in front of the Pokémon Center.

"Sounds like a plan, here." Ash replied, withdrew his wallet and handed the older boy with some bills of money as well as a list.

"Hmm…ketchup?" Brock said aloud and Pikachu started to make some very excited noises on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, its better you don't ask." Ash replied as Brock laughed and the two went on their way.

After getting his Pokémon healed he transferred his Beedrill and Butterfree for his newly captured Growlithe and Vaporeon from Professor Oak. The Pokémon he had on him were: Pikachu, Martha, Pidgeot, Fearow, Growlithe and Vaporeon.

Entering the Cerulean City Gym, he saw nobody present and he heard cheering.

"Hmm…" He muttered went into the main area and saw a full crowd of people and heard an announcer call out "The Sensational Sisters" or something.

"You've got to be kidding me." Ash's eyes narrowed as he saw three very attractive girls dive from a high height into the water and began performing water aerobics.

"What kind of gym is this?" Ash folded his arms across his chest, he came to battle not watch girls swim around in skintight one-piece bikinis. With a scoff, he left and entered a hallway and prepared in what order should his team start, with Pikachu leading since he'd opted for Martha in the last Gym battle.

Little did he know that the three sisters show had finished and they were walking in the same hall Ash was in, talking with unrestrained excitement in the voices.

"Lily, that dive you did was great." The blonde haired girl said to the girl next to her that had pink hair, " You too, Violet."

"Thanks Daisy, the practice really paid off." Lily, the pink haired girl responded.

"Like, totally." The blue haired girl added and the three shared a giggle. Then the three sisters noticed Ash staring intently at a Pokéball in his hand.

"Who's this?" Lily whispered.

"I don't know." Daisy replied, just as curious.

"Hmm…he's kind of cute." Violet confessed as she surveyed the dark sneakers, long straight black colored jeans, and a sleeveless blue hoodie. His dark hair was messy yet it somehow fitted very well on him. Daisy sighed as her Lily agreed with Violet and the two giggled at each other.

"Hello, can we help you?" Lily and Violet greeted, and Ash immediately turned his head to face them.

"Hi," He started, thinking fast, "I saw a bit of your performance. It was quite good."

"Why thank you," Lily said smiling.

"So what are you doing down here?" Violet asked.

"Well I was hoping to challenge the leader of this Gym for a battle, do you know where he or she might be?" Ash replied.

"You're looking at them." Violet said as the she and her two sisters did a pose. Ash and Pikachu's eyes widened as they stared at the three of them with surprise.

Though the disbelief was still root deep, Ash followed the three sensational sisters back to the area where he first saw them, only the stands were empty and there were mats in the pool.

"Alright, which of you will I be facing?" Ash asked as he dropped his bag to his side.

"Uh….well you see," Daisy started, "We don't really feel like battling right now."

Ash face palmed, "Why always me?" He thought.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, why is that so?" He asked humorously.

"We were just beaten by three trainers from Pallet." Violet replied.

"Great, Gary somehow ruins everything again." Ash inwardly raged.

"After they beat us, we had to rush all of our Pokémon to the Pokémon center." Lily sighed and pulled out a Pokéball.

"This is the only one we have left." She tossed it and out came a flopping Goldeen. Ash sweat dropped at the sight before the gold fish Pokémon was recalled back into its Pokéball.

"It's not really good at battling. All it can use is horn attack. If it evolved into Seaking, we could use it." Lily said sadly. Ash actually sympathize with the three attractive girls, clearly, they weren't trainer material.

Ash was actually planning to return to Cerulean City later and get the other badges first to keep up with his plan when Daisy's voice cut his thoughts off.

"Oh Seal." She called out. A white sea lion Pokémon hopped out of the water and scurried next to Daisy. Sticking out its tongue, it revealed a blue tear drop shaped badge sitting on it.

Daisy picked it and turned towards Ash, "This is what you want right? The Cascade badge?"

"Er….man this is awkward, I can come around another day when you have your Pokémon back. It doesn't seem right to me." Ash rubbed the back of his head. Lily and Violet giggled as they admired his honest chivalry.

"Just take it handsome." Lily winked.

"We don't mind." Violet added.

"But I do, here's my number," Ash said, scribbling his PokéNav number on a slip of paper and quickly added when he saw the expressions on the sensational sisters' faces, "So you can call me when you're ready for a battle."

"Oh…" Lily certainly looked disappointed as she took the slip.

"C'mon Pikachu. Let's go find Brock and get to Vermillion City."

"Pika…" Pikachu didn't really have much enthusiasm in his voice as it hopped onto his trainer's shoulders.

"It was fun meeting you three…I'll be going now." Ash gave the three girls a wave and lifting his backpack, he walked towards the Gym's doors a little bit depressed. That was when the glass doors swung opened and slammed right into his face, causing Ash and Pikachu to fall backwards.

"Hey, watch it! Can't you open a door without banging it in front of another person's face?!" Ash shouted as he stood up, having an already bad enough day, Pikachu agreed as its cheeks sparkled.

Looking up he saw a young girl standing in the doorway. She was as tall as Ash with orange hair tied in a sideways ponytail, wearing a yellow shirt with red overall straps and extremely short jean shorts.

"Handing out badges again Daisy?" the girl said fiercely.

"Misty?" Daisy called, "So you've come back." She sounded surprised.

"Have you become a master water Pokémon trainer yet?" Violet teased making Misty blush slightly.

"No not yet" Misty said hesitantly as her cheeks became pink. Then she turned to Ash, "And you, don't just think that because my sisters hand out badges for free doesn't mean I will."

"Calm your balls! I chose not to accept your sister's badge because I don't like things being handed to me and gaining a badge without fighting for it is exactly that!" Ash yelled back into her face, having reached breaking point in this day of despair.

Misty actually looked apologetic before she gritted her teeth in anger, "What did you say?! Calm my what?! Are you blind or just so oblivious that I'm a girl!" She shouted back.

"You heard me," Ash replied, gaining back his calmness through deep breaths, "Since you're here, I assume that I can get a battle after all?" He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. Misty nodded, glaring back at the boy around her age who'd dare insinuate that she was a guy.

"Great, I hope you battle with as much passion as when we were arguing." Ash smirked and begins walking towards platforms in the middle of the Gym.

"The rules are simple, two Pokémon each with no time limit." Misty announced as she pulled out a Pokéball. A flash of light and a brown colored five star Pokémon with a red jewel in the center appeared.

"A Staryu huh? Interesting…well you've been waiting quite patiently for a while haven't you, you're up pal." Ash said and Pikachu jumped from on top of Ash's head.

"Staryu use Water Gun!" Misty called out and the starfish tipped its top star tip at the electric mouse and fired a water gun at it.

"Pikachu counter with Thunderbolt!" Ash called.

"Pika chuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of thunder that shocked the star Pokémon.

"Staryu!" Misty called out with worry.

"Now, Volt Tackle!" Ash directed and with bright electricity surrounding its tiny body, Pikachu charged and slammed into the stunned Staryu causing it crash in front of its trainer.

"Return Staryu, its not your fault." Staryu returned to its Pokéball with a flash.

"That Pikachu…it must have been training for a long time to unleash such a powerful Thunderbolt attack to knock out my Staryu that quickly." She thought.

"Pikachu you good to continue?" Ash asked.

"Pika, Pikapi!" Pikachu gave his trainer a thumbs up and turned to face whatever Misty might call on next. On the side of the pool, Daisy, Violet and Lily looked on.

"C'mon Misty you can, like, do way better than this!" Daisy encouraged. Misty looked at her oldest sister and smiled, out of the three of them, only Daisy wouldn't rip on her as much and when she did, it was done lightly.

"Okay, Starmie, you're up!" A lavender colored ten star Pokémon with a red jewel in the centered appeared with a flash.

"Use Confusion Ray!" Starmie charged up an orange ball and shot it at the startled yellow rodent.

"Try to dodge it!" Ash called and Pikachu attempted its best but was hit by the orange ball of energy.

"Alright use Rapid Spin!" Misty pressed on. Spinning its pointy ends like a saw blade, Starmie charged against Pikachu, who was shaking his head. The result was Pikachu being knocked off its platform and into the water.

"Pikachu you okay?" Ash called.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu was finally out of its confused state as it swam back and crawled onto the platform. Glaring as he did so as the rapidly spinning starfish was again spinning rapidly towards him.

"Pikachu, wait for it!" Ash called with a smirk.

"What?!" Misty exclaimed. "Does he want to lose?" She thought as Starmie was milliseconds away from hitting the electric mouse the second time.

"Now! Jump!" Ash cried. "Pika!" Pikachu did as his trainer called and jumping, he landed on top of Starmie and held on for dear life on the spinning starfish.

"Thunder!" Ash cried and immediately, Starmie was covered with sparkling electricity.

"Starmie!" Misty cried out as her Pokémon fell into the pool with a splash while Pikachu hopped back in front of his trainer.

"Starmie, return. I know you did your best." Misty smiled as she pulled her Pokéball out and recalled her knocked out Starmie. She was about to congratulate her challenger when he saw a wall to the Gym explode, creating dust everywhere nearly knocking everyone down.

"What the hell?" Ash got up with Pikachu in his arms.

"Prepare for trouble!" A female voice called out.

"Make it double!" A male voice announced.

"Not those three clowns again!" Ash face palmed, it was the same three Team Rocket members who he'd encountered in Viridian City.

"Who're you calling clown!" The female voice, originating from a woman dressed in a white uniform with a large red letter R emblem on the chest area as a giant suction hose that they stole was place into the pool and started sucking all the water out.

"Why always me?!" Ash grumbled, Pikachu sympathized with him as he petted his trainer's head softly with his tail.

"Alright, everyone come out." Ash tossed all of his Pokéballs on his belt. Martha, Growlithe, Pidgeot, Fearow and Vaporeon all appeared with a flash. Martha, Pidgeot and Fearrow all growled as they saw who it was they were facing.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt! Martha use Hyper Beam, Pidgeot and Fearow use Twister, Growlithe heat things up with Flamethrower and Vaporeon use Ice Beam!" Ash called out and watched on with amazement as his Pokémon attacked at once, the combination of all the attacks were beautiful.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" The three unprofessional thieves cried out as they fell into the pool and were sucked into the giant vacuum and sent them flying from the other end.

"Good job team!" Ash gave his Pokémon a thumbs up as he turned the vacuum off. The police then came and removed the vacuum and suction hose, leaving a destroyed wall and debris. While the Gym's water-type Pokémon and Ash's Vaporeon filled the pool back up, Misty walked up to Ash.

"Well where were we?" Ash asked.

"Your badge, which you won rightfully without doubts." Misty replied as she handed him the teardrop badge.

"Thanks Misty, you're a pretty good trainer. I'm glad I could win it off you." Ash honestly said as he took the badge and opening his badge case, placed it carefully next to the Boulder Badge before shutting the case lid, missing Misty's flushed face.

"Well then, looks like I'll be off now." Ash said as he picked up his backpack, slung it over a shoulder while Pikachu jumped onto his head and Vaporeon returned to his side after finishing filling up the pool.

"Daisy, Violet, Lily, I might catch a show if I visit again." Ash said to the three sensational sisters.

"You, like, better!" Violet smiled.

"I didn't catch your name." Misty asked out of the blue with a hand outstretched.

"It's Ash, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." He shook Misty's hand. At once everyone's eyes widened.

"So, like, you're the Champion's brother?" Daisy asked, intrigued.

"Well yeah. You got it." Ash replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Now that you've said it, you do have the same expression he does whenever he battles." Violet said dreamily as she stared intently at Ash, making him squirm.

"Well, my big brother takes after mom while I take after dad. This is the first time someone has said that we look alike in any way." He laughed.

"Well, I'll be going then. Still got six more badges to collect." Ash said as he shrugged towards the gym door.

"Hold on." Lily stopped him and kissed him on the cheek, causing to turn red with embarrassment.

"For luck." The pink haired girl whispered with a wink.

"Er…okay…um, yeah I'll see you." Ash stammered before shooting out of the door as if his pants were on fire, causing all the girls to giggle.

"You know he's like, younger than you right?" Daisy asked with a smile, she'd just gotten new blackmail material.

"Younger or not, he's still, totally cute." Lily smiled.

**~0~**

"Well, you came back faster than I'd imagined." Brock smirked as he saw Ash rushing towards him, with Pikachu on his head and Vaporeon in toll.

"Yeah I guess so…" Ash, face still tomato red said.

"So judging by your excitement, you got your badge." Brock inquired.

"Nice." He added as Ash flipped the lid of his badge case open.

"So you got everything then?" Ash inquired and Brock nodded, pointing at his large backpack.

"Awesome, let's go! We're heading to Vermillion City next!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu, ever enthusiastic, gave a fist pump.

"Vay! Vay!" Vaporeon agreed with its new friend as it leapt onto Ash's shoulders and tickled him with its fish-like tail, making Ash laugh.

**Ok, going to end it here because I know I can't stop if I continue on. For those who were asking, yes, Ash will capture the three starters of Kanto and will play a huge role on his team. ****I NEED REVIEWS! And LOTS of them!**** Since I have a poll up for Legendary Pokémon, I already decided Latias and Latios(maybe?) will follow him, you can suggest what Pokémon Ash meets and captures. My little bro sent me a list of Pokémon he wanted Ash to capture, though I want all of your opinions as well. Pokémon in Kanto if you will. **

**Pokémon Ash has so far:**

**Pikachu**

**Mightyena**

**Pidgeot**

**Fearow**

**Beedrill**

**Butterfree**

**Growlithe**

**Vaporeon**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.- Thanks for all the reviews, they were all very helpful. I appreciate all your continued support. I received a long list of good Pokémon for Ash to capture in my reviews and I have to say it was pretty much the same as my own list. Been watching some episodes just to get the feel and I had so many face palm moments, my girlfriend, however, did not share the same reaction as I did as she never really read the manga. **

**I don't get why people are saying that Ash is Red, they're completely opposite. Red is the ultimate trainer, lone wolf, badass, eventual champion who single handedly destroyed Team Rocket and trained on top of Mt. Silver like a boss. And Ash is…well, Ash.**

** If you haven't read more of my stories, I have a strong dislike for underdog stories, because the idea of an underdog to me is ridiculous though not entirely impossible. **

**Ash wants to make friends with his Pokémon more than capturing them and training them to be the very best of their species, fine I can respect that, but while Ash is making friends and putting his Pokémon's wishes ahead of himself all the time, he won't become a Master anytime soon. You can't do both, I ****mean**** it. **

**Don't bash my OC because Tobias is the ultimate Gary Stu in the Pokémon universe, wow a Darkrai and Latios! I thought the point of legendaries were that they can't be captured or all hell would break loose. It would be more realistic if Ash was beaten by non legendaries in the semi-final in Sinnoh. The writers went full retard there, nothing against people with learning disabilites. But it was clear, they just don't want Ash to win, which is ludicrous! **

**And another thing, why is Pikachu and Ash nerfed every time they go to a new region. Statistically speaking, Pikachu should be level 100 right now and should be much stronger than he is depicted in the anime but no, that would be unfair so lets reset him to level 5 everytime he goes to somewhere new. **

**Seriously? Dafuq? And don't get me started on Ash, everything he learns goes out the window after each of his journey ends and he becomes a noob again. That is really really stupid. **

**Even my little brother says so and he's in the age zone where Pokémon are trying to appeal to. He made me laugh the other day saying that even he could whoop Ash's butt. Really really poor writing, the writers of Pokémon should all be thrown out of the window. An underdog is cool but he has to win, Ash loses too many times. **

**~0~**

It had been two and half weeks of nonstop traveling and training but Ash and Brock had finally arrived at Vermillion City. Fatigued and covered with mud and grime, both teenage boys moved quickly towards the Pokémon Center to wash off their hobo-like stench from their clothes and bodies.

"The sun's going to set soon and I don't think you or your Pokémon are in a shape to compete at one hundred percent so I think the best course of action is to wait for tomorrow. What do you think Ash?" Brock stated as he fell onto a bed.

"I guess so…" Ash sulked and proved Brock's point with a huge yawn. Pikachu, affected by his trainer's condition also yawned and rubbed its eyes with its tiny paws as it hopped onto Ash's bed and started to doze off.

"I'm just going to grab a bite…be right back pal." Ash petted the electric mouse on the head.

"Pika…" Pikachu mumbled as his trainer left the room. Ash noted that there were a lot of injured Pokémon around him as he held a box of fried Chicken and chips in his hand. He was narrowly hit by a stretcher with a Pidgey, rowed by a Chansey followed by a trainer. The Nurse Joy there was being overworked as she explained to the curious Ash that it was the fifteenth case of the week and that all the injured Pokémon came in after battling with the Vermillion City Gym Leader.

As Ash slowly ate his dinner in the lobby, he was suddenly alerted by a sudden noise as he looked up at the big screen and saw a familiar face in the broadcast. It was his brother Alec, facing off against an Unova Elite Four Member named Marshal in the Champions League Tournament.

The Champions League Tournament was an annual tournament consisting of members of the Elite Four from Kanto/Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova as well as the Champions of each region in a knockout tournament. And ever since Alec became Champion, he had the oppressing advantage over everyone since he was the only person alive to remain undefeated in this competition. Ash was watching with much anticipation as he took a large bite out of his fried chicken.

The two trainers were at the center of the field, his brother was dressed in long khaki pants, a silver t-shirt and a long fitting black trench coat. His opponent wore long baggy orange pants, a sleeveless vest with a black belt around his waist and orange gloves. Ash couldn't tell what the two trainers were saying to each other and soon the two trainers walked to their respective ends, along with it the cheers from the fans rose.

"**The match between Alec Ketchum, the Champion of Kanto against Marshall from Unova will begin now!**" The commentator exclaimed with excitement. By now, the Pokémon Center was filled up with trainers as they all stared at the large screen.

**~0~**

"Don't be too cocky about your skills, kid. I will be the one to end your unbeaten streak." The orange hair dark skinned trainer from Unova said as he shook his opponent's hand.

"You can try…but fate will say otherwise." Alec replied frostily and walked to his end of the field. Up on the VIP Lounge, the Elite Fours and Champions from other regions watched on.

"So, what do you think Drake?" Wallace asked out of the blue as he surveyed his long time friend on the field. Like always, he wore his white outfit, accompanied with a matching colored beret.

"The outcome is obvious." The older man beside him replied gruffly. He was wearing black colored boots, light blue pants, a black captain's coat and a white sailor's hat. Down in the field, Alec pulled a Pokéball from his belt and his eyes narrowed as his opponent did the same.

"Aggron, I have need of your assistance!" With a flash, the huge black and gray-silver monstrous bipedal Pokémon appeared with a ground-shaking roar.

"**And Champion Alec starts things off with his mighty Aggron!"**

"Breloom, it's fighting time!" Marshall tossed a Pokéball and out came a green theropod like Pokémon with a mushroom-like green cap on its head.

"**And here it is folks, a battle between two Hoenn Pokémon." **

"Use Seed Bomb!" Marshall commanded and Breloom jumped into the air before slamming a barrage of hard-shelled seeds down on Alec's Aggron.

"Counter with flamethrower!" Alec shouted and opening its mouth, Aggron unleashed a powerful torrent of red scorching flames that made short work of the seed bomb.

As Breloom leapt deftly back on the ground, Marshall shouted "Breloom use Solarbeam!"

"Aggron, show them what true power is, Hyper Beam Attack!" Alec countered. Both Aggron and Breloom unleashed their respective charge attacks and two powerful beams collided with each other, resulting in an explosion. When the smoke cleared, it was obvious that Breloom took more damage as Aggron barely had a scratch on its gleaming metallic body as a blue glow outlined it.

"Iron Defense, a defensive technique for a Pokémon to minimize damage done to it while increasing its defense stat." Alec merely recited with a smirk at his opponent, "Now finished this with Fire Blast!"

Opening its mouth after taking a deep breath, Aggron released a powerful torrent of flames from its mouth, which took the shape of a kanji letter and engulfed its target. When the flames died out, Breloom was knocked out burnt to a crisp with swirls in its eyes.

"Breloom is unable to battle, Aggron wins!" The referee raised his flag and Breloom's picture blacked out on the large screen up on the stands.

Marshal recalled Breloom back into its Pokéball and pulled out another one in its place. "Throh, its fighting time!"

And with a flash, out came a Pokémon with a bulky body, with red rocky skin and standing on two legs. It was wearing a Judogi with a black belt wrapped around its middle.

"**And Marshall has opted for Throh, a Pokémon from the Unova Regions against Ketchum's Aggron." **The commentator blasted out.

"Aggron return, you did well…but she wants to take over now." Alec told the bipedal metal Pokémon who nodded and was soon returned back into his Pokéball. Putting Aggron's Pokéball back to his belt and retrieving another one, Alec whispered, "The stage's all yours princess...Show time, Gardevoir!"

With a flash, his shiny Gardevoir appeared on the field, and with it, the screams of his legions of fangirls rang as their idol's most beautiful Pokémon appeared.

"**The Champion recalls his Aggron and brings out his Gardevoir."**

"Let's not make this too easy shall we?" Alec remarked at the Psychic-type Pokémon who only gave him a smirk before her eyes and body glowed blue.

"That Gardevoir is certainly something else…just like that time…but why, why do you look so sad?" A young woman commented from the VIP Lounge, she had smooth creamy white skin, wearing a fitting white gown with a white bow tied on her waist that went to her lower legs, pink heels and a pink transparent cape. On top of her head of incredibly long and wide blonde hair was her hat.

"You say something, Caitlin?" A girl with short cropped purple hair with glasses asked.

"Oh? It's nothing Shauntal." Caitlin smiled at her friend and fellow Elite before glancing at the Gardevoir in the field, who had finished off Marshal's Throh easily with a Confusion attack, followed by a Psychic attack and her unsmiling trainer, who'd lost the carefree smile and blood boiling passion that she loved so much whenever he battled.

She still remembered, when they had faced against each other the first time, her Gothitelle against his Gardevoir. It was shortly before he had became Champion, they had met by chance in a park in Opelucid City.

**~0~**

_Caitlin was in her own thoughts as she surveyed the peacefulness around her. Apple trees, lush fertile grass and crystal clear water. Suddenly she was distracted from her thoughts as she saw the water ripple. She was surprised when a young man emerged, from the water. Seconds later, a majestic blue serpentine Pokémon with white feathery wings on either side of its head emerged and cooed. _

_"A swim was what we needed, you agree?" The young man with soaked chin length brown hair and blue eyes stroked his Pokémon and laughed as the Dragonair nuzzled his cheek with its own. Then a Pokémon with a huge cobalt blue-colored body and massive three fingered open palms as well as a wide mouth emerged from the water. The Pokémon opened its mouth and sprayed his trainer with a light burst of water. _

_"Glad you're on board, Swampert." The Swampert's trainer laughed and ran a hand over his face and hair. _

_Caitlin giggled lightly but suddenly felt something lightly poking her leg, looking down she saw a fox Pokémon with a sleek tan body, a shade of dark brown that is carried out on the tip of its paws, and in the center of the ear. It also had huge, adorable brown eyes and green colored sprouts growing through its body as well as a longer sprout on its forehead. And finally, a long leaf like tail swayed gently. _

_"Oh, hello." Caitlin greeted the Pokémon as she bent her knees. _

_"Feon?" The Leafeon tilted its head and mewled when Caitlin stroked its head and gave her a lick to the face, causing the young woman to laugh. Suddenly the Leafeon was surrounded by a blue glow as it was lifted into air and a Shiny Gardevoir materialized into the air. _

_"Sorry, she is incredibly playful and personal space doesn't register her. I hope she wasn't bothering you." Gardevoir informed the Psychic-type mistress who only blinked in shock for a second before regaining her composure. _

_"It's alright. She's a darling." She replied. Gardevoir blinked and turned to the small leaf fox Pokémon, who seemed to look quite smug as she was released from the Psychic-Type's psychic hold. But the two Pokémon soon turned their heads when a sharp whistle was blown. _

_"Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" A voice called out and Leafeon's ears perked as she immediately rushed towards the direction of the lake where a whole bunch of Pokémon was already gathered to their respective bowls of Pokeblocks. The group included a Dragonair, Swampert, a particularly fierce looking Salamance that swooped down from the skies, and a Lucario that seemed to scan through her with its red eyes. "Gardevoir, you too." The young man who had been swimming with his Dragonair and Swampert said as he approached the two. He was dressed in loose long black sweat pants and a loose silver t-shirt. Gardevoir nodded and teleported towards her fellow Pokémon. _

_"Hi, I hope my Leafeon didn't surprise you with her playfulness." The fairly attractive young man said as he stuck out a hand. "I'm Alec." _

_"Caitlin and no, she's a darling." Caitlin took his hand with a smile, noting that the young man somehow looked familiar. _

_"My team and I are having a picnic. Would you like to join us?" Alec asked, rubbing his neck nervously._

"_I don't wish to intrude." Caitlin started._

_"Well, the more the merrier, Leafeon seems fond with you and I've never seen Gardevoir act so warmly with a stranger. You must have an affinity with Psychic Pokémon." With that, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her team, never noticing the blush that had appeared on her cheeks from the praise. _

_"You're from Kanto?" Caitlin asked with surprise as she took a bite out from a delicious roast beef sandwich Alec had handed her earlier. _

_"What? I do not look as country and outdated as you thought?" Alec asked with an eyebrow raised. Despite being neighboring regions, the people of Kanto were not thought highly in Unova. _

_"No! No! That was not my thought at all!" Caitlin replied frantically with wide eyes until she heard Alec snigger. _

_"Just kidding." He laughed softly as Leafeon leapt into his lap and began purring. Caitlin's frantic attitude immediately changed as she joined in and giggled. _

_"So, are you planning to try the Unova League?" Caitlin asked as she looked on at Alec's team of Pokémon lightly dozing off in their afternoon nap. _

_"Sadly no, I'm afraid the ordinary regional tournament isn't the stage for me anymore…" Alec replied quietly with a sad smile as he stroked the sleeping Leafeon, who had curled up comfortably in his lap. Suddenly, as if she were stung, Caitlin suddenly realized why she found Alec's face so familiar looking. He was Alec Ketchum, the Tensai of Kanto, and the trainer from Pallet Town who had won four straight tournaments in four years. _

_"Hmmph…judging by your shocked reaction, it would seem my identity is discovered." Alec remarked humorlessly as he gently lifted Leafeon from his lap, and chuckled when it whined a bit before setting her on the soft grass before standing up and walking towards the rest of his Pokémon. _

_"Yes, your name is quite well known, even here in Unova but worry not, for I am not one of those mindless shallow girls that you fear so much." Caitlin replied, flashing a small, shy smile as she stood up too before pulling out Pokéball on her white colored belt. _

_"If you believe the league is below you, I challenge you to a battle." Caitlin looked at Alec. _

_"Hmmph…interesting, are you challenging for the league?" Alec replied, intrigued at the young woman's determination. _

_"You must not be too familiar of Unova, I'm Caitlin, Elite Four Member and Master of Pyschic-type." The young woman formally introduced herself. She watched as Alec's blue eyes widened but as quickly as his shocked expression appeared, it disappeared. _

_"A challenge from an Elite Four Member, I gladly accept." His voice was laced with subtle anticipation as he gave a sharp whistle and at once, all his Pokémon opened their eyes, fully alert. Soon Alec and Caitlin stood facing against each other in a grassy field as Caitlin raised the Pokéball in her hand. _

_"Let's have a battle that we'll never forget." She smiled. _

_"My thought exactly." Alec nodded back respectfully. "Gothitelle, the stage is yours!" Caitlin called out, tossing her Pokéball._

"**And Conkeldurr is unable to battle! What a magnificent display with a Thunderbolt and Psyshock combination! Gardevoir and Champion Ketchum are the winners!" **Caitlin was brought back from her thoughts as thunderous applause and cheers rang around her wildly. She was just in time to see Gardevoir being returned to its Pokéball and Alec giving the Pokéball a gentle kiss before turning around and disappearing into the stadium tunnel which led to the changing rooms.

"What happened to you..." Caitlin thought sadly, ignoring the commentators booming voice announcing the next two contestants.

Meanwhile down in the locker room, Alec was motionless as he dunk his head into a sink and immediately water sprayed down and soaked his hair. He flipped his head back and stared at his own pale and gaunt like reflection. "Who are you?"

**~0~**

"Well guys! This is it! You all ready?!" Ash gave his little pep talk as his Pokémon all gave their growls or exclamations of affirmation in their room in the Pokémon Center. Ash had a large smile on his face as he surveyed his three Kanto starters, a small bipedal, orange lizard with a cream colored belly and a bright flame burning on the tip of its tail and big blue eyes.

He had gotten Charmander when it was abandoned by its original trainer Damian for being too weak. Ash had nearly beaten the son of a bitch to death if it were not for Brock who decided to step in and contain his friend. Ash had never felt so angry, it was only in the heat of the moment but he swore he would have ended the pathetic loser's life right there.

Later they ventured out in the rain and found the abandoned Charmander taking cover underneath a small leaf and quickly got it to the Pokémon Center just in time much to both boy's relief. Ash had stayed all night keeping watch over the small fire lizard, who had unintentionally opened its eyes slightly and saw Ash's head drooping down while he sat on an uncomfortable chair with only a blanket over him. Ash had unknowingly won over its allegiance with that simple act and it didn't take him a second to sent a flamethrower at his former trainer the next day much to Ash's delight.

Next to Charmander was a small green hided dinosaur Pokémon with a green onion bulb on its back and walked on four legs. It was a Bulbasaur, the grass-type Kanto starter. Ash had encountered it while he'd met a girl named Melanie, who'd devoted herself to caring for her gardens as well as the abandoned Pokémon that were there. Ash had found Bulbasaur's standoffish attitude confusing but was soon cleared up by Melanie when she explained that it was the guardian of her garden and was very serious in its duty.

Unfortunately, Team Rocket just had to ruin their day as they tried to capture the Pokémon in Melanie's gardens only to be blasted away by Martha the Mightyena, Pikachu, Pidgeot and Bulbasaur. Ash was getting seriously pissed off, of all the trainers in the world, why was it him that always had to deal with clowns at least once every day.

Afterwards, Bulbasaur had issued a challenge to Ash after Melanie told it that it could become stronger if it were to leave with Ash. So it was Pikachu who'd jumped to the challenge, the electric mouse was in quite a pickle when Bulbasaur trapped it with its vines but countered with a Thunderbolt followed by a high power Volt Tackle. Ash then threw a Pokéball and thus, he'd gained a new companion.

And finally, standing proud and tall next to its Grass counterpart, a Squirtle with its blue colored paws folded across its chest and a pair of sunglasses over its eyes simply nodded at Ash. Ash in returned just sweat dropped.

He'd caught his final Kanto starter when he came across a gang of abandoned Squirtle. It made his blood boil in anger when he found out that Meowth had 'befriended' the gang of Squirtles to make them capture Pikachu for him and after a long heated explanation and a staring contest between the lead Squirtle and Ash, the two sent Team Rocket blasting off again when it was clear that they had lost their patience and was resorting to their appear and grab tactic.

Squirtle had seen the way Ash battled and requested humbly to join him, and so with the rest of the Squirtles were left in the care of the local Officer Jenny, Ash captured the final Kanto starter. It was clear that after training for hours every day that the three were going to be hugely important in his team when he would be competing against tricky oppositions.

Of course Ash knew about the final evolutions of the three Kanto starters. Charizard, Venasaur and Blastoise were all powerhouses and incredibly strong Pokémon if possessing a great skill set. But like all strong Pokémon, they were hard to train, especially Charizards since they value strength above everything else and combined with a hot head, it could turn out to be disastrous if not handled correctly.

"Hey Ash, you ready?" Brock poked his head into the room. In response, Ash pulled the hood of his sleeveless black hoodie over his head and returned all his Pokémons into their respective Pokéball before walking out of their room.

"So how're you going to deal with this one?" Brock asked as he and Ash walked towards the Vermillion City Gym. "It says here that the Gym Leader uses electric Pokémon."

"Er…honestly, I don't know. I don't have any Rock-types yet but I'm thinking." Ash mumbled as he thought which of his Pokémon would be up to the task. Pidgeot was a no go for obvious reasons, as was Squirtle. So it was a toss between Martha, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Pikachu. He decided as he soon stood in front of the entrance to the Vermillion City Gym, it was a massive structure with a Pokéball on the top with lighting bolts surrounding it. Pushing the massive doors open, they were greeted with two people standing there with arms crossed. One was a young man with a gangster outfit and the other was a young woman dressed in a similar attire.

"State your name and business." The girl asked or more like, demanded.

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader." Ash stated with some satisfaction when he saw the look of fear on the two 'receptionists' faces. "

"Ketchum huh?" A deep voice broke the silence. Out from the shadows, a massive man emerged with spiky blonde hair, wearing a military uniform with his shirt unbuttoned showing his muscular physique.

"This is the Gym Leader?" Brock murmured silently yet anxiously next to Ash who remained undeterred.

"So this is my challenger, you're shorter than when your brother when he first came in." The large man stared down at Ash and inwardly Ash gritted his teeth, the one thing he hated more than people calling him Ashy boy was calling him short.

"You'll swallow those words after I beat you." Ash responded and without waiting for a reply, walked into the Pokémon Arena and to the challenger side.

"This will be a one on one battle between the Vermillion City Gym Leader Lt. Surge against the Challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." The girl dressed in the gangster outfit announced.

"Raichu, show them your might!" Surge bellowed and out came the evolved form of Pikachu. Pikachu growled lightly and narrowed its eyes as it surveyed its final form, like itself, Raichu has long ears and feet and stubby arms. Also like Pikachu, Raichu has two horizontal brown stripes on its back. Its long, thin tail has a broad, lightning bolt-shaped end. Unlike Pikachu, however, it does not have fingers. Raichu is yellow-brownish in color, with a white belly. The electric sacs on its cheeks unlike Pikachu, was yellow, instead of red.

"Not this time Pikachu." Ash told the electric mouse, who looked at his trainer with surprise but reluctantly nodded with drooped ears as it stayed put.

"Martha, lend me your power!" Ash shouted and with a flash, his Mightyena appeared with a loud roar, making Lt. Surge's Raichu falter a bit.

"There is no time limit, let the battle begin!" The referee announced and a bell rang, signifying the start of the battle.

"Raichu, start things off with Hyper Beam!" Surge bellowed.

"Use your own Hyper Beam!" Ash commanded and watched as Martha arched her neck back with a golden beam charging in her jaws. With a cry, she released a powerful golden beam the same time Raichu released its own Hyper Beam. The two collided at the center of the arena and resulted in a gigantic explosion. When the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon glared at each other, neither taking damage.

"Raichu use Mega Punch!" Surge called. Raichu charged at Martha with its fist raised.

"Martha, Giga Impact!" Orange-yellow energy covered Martha's body and glowing purple, she charged at the Raichu causing it to fly backwards. Landing on its paws, Raichu winced as it panted.

"End this with Thunderbolt! Full power!" Surge shouted. Raichu's cheeks sparkled brightly and with a loud cry unleashed the most massive Thunderbolt Ash had ever seen. It was so bright and blinding that everyone watching had to cover their eyes.

"It's over." Surge smirked as the blinding light faded but his face soon turned to one of shock, no pun intended. "What?!" Ash smirked from under his hood as Martha submerged from the ground, before shaking the debris off her dark coat.

"I knew your Raichu would have an impressive arsenal of Thunder attacks so I commanded my Mightyena to use dig….Mada mada dane." Ash said and pointing a gloved index finger at his opposition.

"Finish this, Giga Impact." Martha barked as it was once again surrounded by a purple glow as it charged at its tired opponent.

"Raichu do something!" Surge panicked as Raichu was sent flying and landed on the ground with swirls in its eyes as it groaned weakly.

"Rai…Raichu is unable to battle, Mightyena and Challenger Ash Ketchum are the winners." The referee signaled holding a flag up.

"Alright, you were spectacular out there girl." Ash cheered and laughed as Martha ran into his outstretched arms and gave his face a huge lick while barking enthusiastically.

"That was a great battle Ash, one of the best I've had in a long time," Surge said walking up to Ash with Raichu, who was awake and seemed to be fine save a few bruises here and there. Ash simply nodded. "And here's your proof of victory at the Vermillion Gym, a Thunder Badge." The badge was shaped like an eight-pointed yellow star with an orange octagon in the center.

"Thanks Surge." Ash smiled as he took the badge and shook the Gym Leader's hand.

"And do me a favor will you, I heard your brother's getting rather bored at the top. When you do face him, knock him down a few pegs." Surge smirked.

"Will do." Ash smiled as he and Brock left the Gym.

"Alright! I got the Thunder Badge!" He raised a fist in triumph.

"Pika!" Pikachu gave an excited paw pump despite not participating in the battle.

"Don't worry bud, I'll get you a bottle of ketchup before we leave for the next city." Ash chuckled as Pikachu nuzzled his cheeks with its own affectionately.

"So, where are we headed off next?" Brock inquired.

"Saffron City, that's where the next Gym is. But before I can challenge the leader, I need Ghost-type Pokémon but I have no idea where to find them." Ash said and paused in his steps and thought hard.

"Ghost-Types? Well, lucky you I managed to read the newspapers today and we might find something in Lavender Town." Brock grinned.

"Hmmph…fine, Lavender Town it is." Ash said, surveying his map. Releasing his Pidgeot, the two young men and Pikachu climbed onto the large bird Pokémon and took off.

**~0~**

"You've made a big mistake coming here, Le Creuset! You're not getting out of here alive!" Le Creuset simple smiled as he raised his staff and the symbol of Arceus glowed purple and the Team Rocket grunts dropped to the ground dead.

"The darkness is starving…you'll be fitting sacrifices." He said hoarsely and laughed coldly as he walked past the unmoving corpses littered on the floor. Getting into Team Rocket bases were as easy as walking through a park for Le Creuset, when he had the Scepter of Destiny in his hands as well as powers that far surpassed those of an ordinary human. Raising his scepter as he walked deeper into the facility.

"Give me the key." His distorted voice echoed the metallic walls and a symbol of Arceus appeared on a researcher's forehead as his eyes went blank as he handed a keycard to Le Creuset.

"Now strangle yourself to death." Le Creuset commanded and ignoring the man who was now strangling himself, swipe the card on the console and the doors swung open. It swung shut behind him. He smirked when he had 'fallen' into a trap as Rocket Grunts armed with firearms greeted him.

"You're surrounded Le Creuset! Surrender and I'll make sure your death will be relatively quick and painless." The silver masked man ignored the warning, and raising his staff as it glowed purple. A huge flash of light appeared from the symbol of Arceus shot into the air, slowly taking the shape of a large bipedal winged figure with purple outlines on its body and glowing red eyes. The unknown beast then started to gather energy from its forearm and with an earth shattering roar, slashed into the air with its arm releasing a pink crescent blade of energy from its arms and shooting a powerful purple beam of pure energy from its mouth.

**~0~**

On the route to Lavender Town, Ash suddenly felt as if his head was set on fire as he fell to his knees.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu stopped in its training with Squirtle as all his Pokémon stopped in their business and quickly approached their trainer.

"Ash you okay?" Brock hurried over from the small camp fire where he was making dinner.

"Yeah…I think, just a headache. Nothing to worry about." Ash replied as he pulled himself to his feet and assured his Pokémon that he was fine.

"Okay, that's it for today. Great job everyone. We'll be having dinner in a bit so have some free time." Ash announced and his Pokémon all cried out happily. As they did so, Ash placed a gloved hand over his face, the rage he'd just felt flowing through him was even more stronger than the anger he felt when he punching in Damian's face.

"What the hell was that?" He thought. Meanwhile his Pokémon, who were playing a game similar to tag were talking as they played.

"_**What do you think is bothering master?**__"_ Charmander asked as it tagged Bulbasaur with its paw.

"**_I felt something just now, I don't know what it is but I do not like it. I have a feeling that it is tied to master." _Martha barked as she watched the rest of her fellow Pokemon play. **

"_**I have met many trainers and master Ash is different from them all." **_Squirtle said and scowled as Bulbasaur used its vines to tag him.

"_**Are you referring to the prophecy of the chosen ones?"**_ Pikachu squeaked as it evaded Squirtle with pulling off an Agility. Every existing Pokémon, old or young in the world knew of the prophecy. They didn't know why they did, perhaps it was Arceus' doing though they weren't sure. The prophecy stated that when the world became contaminated with evil of the human heart, two humans would arise, one of light, one of darkness and together they will repel the evils of the human heart.

"_**Though master is the most pure hearted human I've ever met, if he is the chosen one. There would likely be rigorous tests ahead." **_Bulbasaur added wisely and all the other Pokémon tensed up. None of them liked the sound of that.

**~0~**

"Please…take all the Pokémon here, don't kill me." A man who was bald on the top and two clumps of orange hair to each side of his head with a busy matching colored mustache begged with genuine fear in his eyes as the tall silver masked figure approached, the blade end of his scepter dripping with fresh blood.

"You life means nothing to me Namba! Where is Giovanni?!" Le Creuset all but yell, causing the normally composed Professor to retreat even further on the floor.

"I…I don't know." Namba responded pathetically.

"So you won't tell me, no matter, I will get an answer." Le Creuset said softly and raising his scepter against the Professor, the symbol of Arceus glowed and Namba's eyes went blank as Le Creuset initiated a mind scan.

"Che…It would seem that you are still of use," He informed the stunned Professor who stared ahead blankly, "I got what I wanted but your soul now belongs to me. Report everything Team Rocket is doing and send it to this PokéNav address." Le Creuset commanded as he pushed his thoughts into Namba's mind.

Satisfied, the purple cloaked man disappeared as mist of darkness covered his body as the distant sounds of sirens could be heard.

**~0~**

"Here we are, Lavender Town." Ash placed his hands on his hips as he and Brock had arrived in front of a spooky and dilapidated tower. It had two horn-like objects protruding from the side of the tower, a balcony that appears to be a mouth and two eye-like windows on the very top of it, giving it a demonic appearance.

"Er…I'm going to sit out on this one." Brock sheepishly admitted and backed up a bit.

Ash rolled his eyes, grabbing onto the handles of the huge doors, it swung open with a creak which caused the hairs on Ash's back to straighten. Pikachu was clutching to Ash's head tightly.

"Charmander, help guide me into the darkness." The small fire lizard appeared with a flash and was all too happy to help with the flames on the top of its tail. Taking out a flashlight and turning it on, Ash walked into the tower and gulped when the doors creakingly slammed shut behind him.

Brock waited patiently outside as he read his book on Pokéblocks when he heard a loud scream, inhumane laughter and tens of minutes later a loud crash. Half an hour later, the doors of the spooky tower swung open, revealing a sheet white Ash, Charmander and Pikachu though the latter two looked better than their trainer.

"So, what happened?" Brock asked slowly.

"It's better you don't ask. You wouldn't believe me if I did. Let's just say I had an out of body experience. " Ash replied.

"Any luck?" Brock asked as he walked aside his younger companion. In response Ash held out three Pokéballs with a tired nod.

"They're quite playful but I feel we understand each other now." Ash said as they walked back to their campsite and wasting no time, Ash bade Brock good night, climbed into his tent and zipped himself into his sleeping bag, totally exhausted from the rigorous activities that he'd participated in the day. Pikachu doing something similar as it curled in a small sleeping bag of its own.

**Read and Review. Next chapter will contain the Gym Battles against our favorite psychic Sabrina, Erika, and her ties to Alec's past and Alec's first meeting with his little brother since Ash first started his journey. If you want another update, review. In the mean time, I'm revising my latest chapter of HP and the Veela. No worries, a new chapter will be updated soon. **


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